(no subject)
Oct. 6th, 2011 01:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cassievalentineTitle Maybe This Time
Fandom Castle
Paring Kate Beckett/Richard Castle, mentions of Meredith Castle/Richard Castle
Rating PG13
Summary AU: In an alternate universe, Castle and Meredith try to save their failing marriage with another baby. 6 months after the divorce, he meets Detective Kate Beckett. . .
Warnings Kid fic, I guess. If that's really a warning in this fandom? Alternate Universe, Canon timeline fudging.
Richard Castle's marriage was falling apart and he knew it. In fact, he'd known that things were falling apart for a while now but he'd been in denial about it, telling himself that the problems with the marriage were due to the time he and Meredith spent apart, that as soon as she started landing roles in New York again they'd be able to smooth things out.
Only Meredith didn't want to stay in New York. She was making a name for herself in LA, having landed a fairly steady stream of guest staring roles on a bunch of high rated sitcoms. She was making connections and friends and she had no real intention of ever returning to New York.
"You can write from anywhere, Rick," she told him, tossing her red hair over her shoulder as she studied him. As soon as she knew that she had his eye, she carefully crossed one leg over the other, making sure that her skirt inched just that much higher. He swallowed hard, he couldn't help it; she'd been gone for a long time and he was looking after an almost 3 year old who rarely remembered to knock before barging into a room.
"And you can work anywhere, Meredith," he countered. "Your resume is fantastic compared to when you last tried to work here, maybe you should try again. I can talk to my mother, see if she knows of anyone. . ." his wife cut him off, standing up quickly before walking over to him.
"I've made a name for myself in Los Angeles," she pointed out. "What impresses casting directors for a TV show is different from someone producing live theatre." The two stopped and stared at each other for a long moment before she finally broke the silence, muttering about why he had to send Alexis to pre-school today.
"I sent her because routine is important to Alexis," he pointed out. "I also sent her because she likes pre-school, she likes to learn, to play with her friends. She'll be home for lunch and a nap and then she's all yours." Meredith sent him one last look before she left his study, calling out to him that she was going out and would be back later.
Late that night, as Meredith sat in bed listening to Rick poke restlessly at his keyboard, her mind drifted back to earlier that afternoon, when Alexis had burst into the loft, wrapping herself first around Rick's legs and then Meredith's, all the while chattering on about how 3 of her classmates had gotten little brothers and sister over summer break and could she have one too? Meredith had blanched at the thought, but Rick had rescued the moment, telling the little girl that babies were something he and her mother would have to discuss, but they promised to let her know when they made up their mind. Satisfied, Alexis had followed Rick into the kitchen for lunch and when she woke up from her nap, all she was concerned about was playing with Meredith, so the woman had thought little more about babies and instead had focused on her daughter.
"You want another baby, don't you?" Rick jumped, startled to hear Meredith's voice right behind him. He quickly saved his document and closed the laptop, spinning his chair around to look at her.
"You know I do," he answered without question. He had always assumed that they'd have at least 2 kids, maybe more if he could talk her into the idea. He wanted Alexis to grow up with everything he didn't have; a stable home, both parents and a sibling or two. Raising Alexis alone 90 percent of the time while her mother was in LA was not part of the plan, not even in his wildest dreams. "But I also know that you don't," he said, hoping that his voice sounded as level to her as it did to him.
"Maybe you're right," she said suddenly as she glided closer to him and sat herself in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Maybe Alexis does need a playmate and maybe I should try my luck in New York again." Rick's brow furrowed slightly as he held on to his wife, confused about her sudden change of heart on the matter. He remembered the fighting they'd done when she found herself pregnant with Alexis. Meredith had spent three straight days yelling at him for forgetting the condom that one night when they were both more than a little drunk after a party his publishing company had thrown. She had also spend the months after Alexis' birth blaming him for how long it took her to get her body back.
"Seriously?" he finally asked, not really sure what else to say.
"Of course I'm serious, Richard!" she exclaimed with a giggle as she tightened her grip on him, pulling him close so she could kiss him. "I've been thinking about this for a while." He pointed out her reaction to Alexis' question earlier in the day and she brushed him off, offering excuses about surprises and shock that she would even ask such a thing. Meredith was quick to suggest that they start work on their new project immediately, but he put her off, asking that they give themselves a couple of days to settle into family life again. Reluctantly, Meredith agreed and Rick allowed her to pull him to bed with her. There was nothing wrong with practicing in the mean time. . .
Much like with Alexis, when they decided to finally try, they got pregnant the first month. Paula had shaken her head a little when Rick told her send out a press release and his mother had been less than enthusiastic when he'd told her there was another little Castle on the way.
"I just hope you know what you're doing, Kiddo," Martha told him as she patted him on the arm before standing up from the small table they were sharing at a neighbourhood cafe. She kissed him on the cheek and gave him one more look before she slipped out of the cafe and Rick remembered why he hadn't said anything about this to his mother before hand. She didn't really like Meredith as a person and thought she was rather horrid mother, not that she had set the bar all that high herself. "I never abandoned you to work on the other side of the country," was one of her favourite arguments against Meredith.
He didn't really care though. He loved Meredith and loved Alexis and wanted them all to be happy and so far they were, at least he convinced himself that they were happy. He needed this family to work and Meredith seemed to really be on board this time, embracing the pregnancy, even flaunting it for the paparazzi. She was quickly becoming the mother he'd always hoped she'd be, the wife he'd always hoped for, and he was hard pressed to believe that it was all an act, having grown up with an actress.
He and Meredith had each done a lot of growing up since Alexis was born, Meredith had just needed to be out on her own to do hers.
Charles Dakota Castle came into the world on December 1st, his predicted due date, which pleased his mother, and amused his father, to no end. Alexis was ecstatic, content to sit anywhere and let her father pack as many pillows around her as he could, just so she could hold her brother and talk to him. Rick was never exactly sure what they talked about, but Charlie was more than content to sleep in his sisters arms as she talked to him about everything and nothing.
Meredith, on the other hand, was mostly glad that Charlie had come on time and not late like Alexis had been, she was also pleased to see that the Hollywood meal planner she'd been in touch with had been worth his salt. She had less that 15 pounds to take off after this pregnancy and she was sure she'd be back on stage or in front of a camera soon.
And she was back on stage within months of having Charlie. Meredith had managed to get a small role in a play that stayed on Broadway for 3 months before she was called back down to LA to work again.
"It's just a couple of pilots," she told Rick as she packed a bag, doing her best to ignore the look on his face as he cradled a nearly 5 month old Charlie against his shoulder. "Chances are they won't get picked up and I'll be back in a couple of weeks, but they could," he cut her off.
"Lead to other things, bigger things," he finished. It was the same story she'd told him when she had packed up and headed to LA when Alexis was tiny.
"All it takes it one good performance, Rick," she told him as she finished packing, doing up her suitcase before placing it and her coat by the door.
"Yeah," he agreed. "One good performance can change everything." He turned and left the room, holding his son a little tighter as he kicked himself for believing Meredith yet again.
Meredith was out and on a plane before the rest of the loft had even woken up. When he did roll out of bed and headed to the kitchen, he found a note from Meredith tapped to the fridge, letting him know that she had managed to get an earlier flight, so she had taken it. She loved them all though, and would call soon. Rick rolled his eyes and sighed heavily as he crumpled up the note and tossed it in the trash before he started on breakfast. Meredith might be gone, but he still had 2 kids to keep track of, one of which needed to be at school in a couple of hours.
It didn't take long for the phone calls and emails from Meredith to start coming. They were full of all her news, about who she was working with and who had set her up to talk to who and just as he was starting to wonder if she was ever going to come back to New York, she was gushing to him over the phone about how she had landed a role in a film, about how this was her moment, her break, and that if the movie did well, she'd have her choice of roles. Rick had quickly felt his spirits lift when she told him that. This is what they had been waiting for, if she could get steady work as a movie actress, she'd have no real reason to stay in LA all the time unless she was filming. She could move back to New York except for when she had to film.
Only as filming began to wrap up and the promotion machine started, so did the gossip mill. And so did the rumours that Meredith Castle was playing house with her director in LA while he stayed home in New York and played Mr. Mom.
Part of him wasn't even surprised when he was served with divorce papers only days before Charlie's first birthday.
Charlie, being a year old, was rather oblivious to the whole event. Meredith had been gone for more of his short life than she'd been around, so he doesn't mind her absence but Alexis took it hard. No matter how many times Rick talked with her about things, the little girl just didn't understand. She was used to her mother being gone for work, but this was different, even if she wasn't exactly sure why. Alexis understood what a divorce was, even though she was only 3, almost 4, it was hard to avoid a life experience like divorce when you were growing up in the upper echelon of New York society. Hell, Rick knew for a fact that a couple of her friends were already on their second step mother.
As the divorce dragged through the courts, Page Six and the other tabloids started to get desperate for a scoop. He and Meredith were being far to civil about the proceedings as far as they were concerned, especially when it came to the custody agreements, Meredith had agreed to sole custody without any fight at all and Rick couldn't help but think that she had finally done something right for their kids.
"Can't mommy just say she's sorry and then come home?" Alexis asked quietly one night as Richard tucked her in.
"I don't think there are enough sorry's to really fix this," he told her sadly as he sat on the edge of her bed. He'd never had any luck lying to the girl before and he honestly does not have the energy right now to start. "There are, however, more than enough sorry's for anything you or Charlie might do, okay?" The redhead thought about that for a moment before nodding her head and clutching Monkey Bunkey a little tighter. He made sure she's tucked in and kissed her on the forehead, offering her one more I love you and a good night before he slipped out of her room, leaving the door open a crack. Rick padded across the short hallway to look in on his son, pleased to see that the boy is dead to the world, sucking occasionally at the pacifier held tightly in his mouth. Satisfied, Richard headed downstairs to his study, flicking the baby monitor on as he sat in his chair and stared blankly at his laptop. Gina was harassing him about final edits and he'd been having a hard time making himself do them, his heart isn't really in it any more.
Truth be told, he'd lost interest in Derek Storm a while ago, but the divorce had just left him too raw to cover that fact up any more. If he hadn't been obligated to write one more book, he would have scrapped the last few chapters and put Storm, and himself, out of their misery. With a final groan, he finally pulled himself to his desk and opened the manuscript, pulling up the last few chapters so he can finish the edits, send it off and not think about it for a few months.
Because what he needed was more time to stew about Meredith, the divorce, the kids, the gossip, the rumours, the tabloids, his mother's I Told You So's . . .
Kate Beckett sighed and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. Whoever had scheduled this 'speaking engagement' was a moron, as far as she was concerned. Who in their right mind scheduled anything down town just after lunch? It didn't really matter though, because she had been the one to pull the short straw and she was the one who was no stuck in traffic as she tried to make her way to one of the many private grammar schools in New York so that she could deliver the standard 'Always ask to see a badge first.' lecture to the newest crop of kindergartners. Kate had never understood why the NYPD didn't give this little lecture at the beginning of the school year, instead of the end of the year but it wasn't her place to question the decision.
She hoped she'd get lucky, that this class would actually know how to sit still for 5 minutes, unlike the last class she had been in. She had been suckered into giving this little talk her first year as a detective and it had been hell. The kids were all grumpy and over stimulated and unable to sit still for more than 10 seconds at a time. They also didn't care about what she had to say, they just wanted to see her gun.
Eventually though, she made it to the school, a Greendale Elementary, and felt no guilt about abusing her police power to park in the back of the school; the thought of having to try and find an actually parking space was just a little too much to deal with at the moment. Quickly, she ran a hand through her hair before sliding out of the car and heading in, making sure to stop at the main office to not only get directions, but to leave her service weapon there as well. She hated the idea of being without it while on duty, but there was no reason to keep it on her person, especially when she was going to be surrounded by small kids. As she found the right room, she allowed herself a moment to wrangle her patience before knocking on the door frame. It wasn't long before she was being welcomed into the room by a chorus of "Good afternoon Detective Beckett!" from the kids gathered on the rug in front of her. She was quick to offer them a smile before launching into the memorized speech about asking strangers to see a badge when they claim to be a police officer.
"How come you don't have to wear a uniform?" one of the boys called out from the back, interrupting her carefully memorized speech. Kate paused for a moment before explaining that some police jobs didn't need a uniform. It wasn't long after that that the speech was forgotten as more little hands shot up into the air to ask questions.
Kate wasn't surprised at all when the next question she was asked was about her gun. She also wasn't surprised at the groan of disappointment and sudden lack of interest when she told them she wasn't allowed to show it to them.
"If you don't have to wear a uniform, do you still get to drive a police car? And use the lights and sirens?" Kate turned towards the voice and saw that it was coming from a little slip of a girl with big blue eyes and bright red hair.
"I have an undercover car," she said, explaining that it looked just like any other car on the road. "Until I turn the lights and siren on," Kate finished with a small grin as the class came back to life, talking amongst themselves about the lights and sirens and comparing how many times they'd each seen a police car racing to a crime scene.
"Can we see it?" the girl asked again. The class immediately dropped into silence as 18 pairs of eyes landed on Kate while Kate shifted her gaze to the teacher.
"If Detective Beckett doesn't mind, yes, we can go out and look." The kids were soon pulling off their indoor shoes and jockeying for position to put on their outdoor shoes as the teacher spoke up again. "I also think that Alexis should lead the class, seeing as it was her idea to ask." There was some grumblings among the male population of the class, but the little red head, Alexis, just grinned a little as she calmly went about her business. As the group made their way out of the school, Kate looked down in surprise as she felt a little hand slip into hers.
"I'm Alexis," she said, when Kate looked down at her. "Can I turn the lights on?"
"You don't want to turn the siren on?" Beckett asked her, more than a little confused. Usually all she heard about after one of these things was how the kids ended up fighting over who would turn the siren on and off. Alexis shook her head before explaining that it was too loud, she wanted to play with the lights. Kate could only smile and swing their hands a little as they kept walking.
Rick leaned against the fence that ran around Greendale Elementary, watching as Charlie toddled around in the grass, stooping down to poke at a bug or pick a flower every now and then. Rick watched as Charlie shifted his gaze from the ground to the side of the school.
"Come on Charlie," Rick called as he saw the group of kids heading their way. Charlie took one more look at the group before he turned around and headed back over to Rick, his arms stretched above his head. Rick bent quickly and swung Charlie up into his arms just in time to look back at the group. He picked daughter out easily as she was the only red head in the class but he paused when he saw her holding the hand of a woman he didn't know. She was tall and dark haired with a pale complexion and a beautiful smile with a laugh to match. She obviously told some kind of joke that caused Alexis and several of her classmates burst out laughing at what ever it is she said.
"Daddy!" Alexis called as soon as she saw Richard and Charlie. She dropped the woman's hand and started to take off but her teacher called her back. He smiled at the light flush that appeared on Alexis' face at being scolded for forgetting the rules. It didn't stop her from shooting the pair a quick smile and a wave before she turned and headed back to the group, falling back into place beside the mystery woman. The teacher gathered the kids and soon a chorus of "Thank you Detective Beckett!" was heard. As the woman, Beckett, offered the group a few parting words, Rick could feel his smile growing. There was just something so adorable about a chorus of tiny kids. He sobered up quickly when he realized that Becket was headed towards the gate while the class headed back into the building.
"Public service?" he asked her with a smile as she came closer, doing his best to check her out without getting caught at it.
"You could call it that," she said as she stopped in front of him, giving him a quick one over with a practiced eye before continuing. "We go around every now and then and remind them to ask to see a badge when someone claims they're an officer."
"Since you don't all wear uniforms," he finished for her with a nod. "Richard Castle," he said, juggling Charlie so he could offer her a hand. "Writer."
"I know," she said with a grin, not letting it slip that she owns all of his books, has read them all multiple times and has stood in line for over an hour at one of his book signings. "Kate Beckett," she said as she shook his hand, casting a glance at the toddler in his arms. "Detective," she added offering the little boy a small smile. He grinned at her before quickly turning his head into Castle's neck, peaking out at her every now and then, the grin still on his face until he caught sight of the sun glinting off of her badge.
"I know," he said, mimicking her. "This is Charlie," he said when the toddler let out a squawk when Castle didn't make any moves to help him secure the shiny item. "He doesn't say much yet, but he's working on it." Rick shifted the boy to his other arm, moving Charlie's attention from Beckett's badge to her face. Kate smiled at him and shook his little hand too and the boy was instantly enamoured with her, especially once his attention was drawn back down to the badge at her waist. After a few minutes of watching Rick try to contain the almost 18 month old boy, Kate took pity on both of them and unclipped her badge, holding out to Charlie. She smiled as the boys eyes went wide for a moment before he snatched it from her hand and began to play with it. "You just made a friend for life," Rick told her with a smile that she couldn't help but return.
The pair ended up standing by the gate and talking about everything and nothing until one of the ladies in the main office rushed out to them, handing Beckett back her weapon. She blushed, embarrassed that she had forgotten it in the school. They both grinned sheepishly at each other as she slid the holster back into place and muttered about forgetting that her car was in the back as well. Rick was quick to make a few jokes, if only to see the woman smile again, but it wasn't long before Kate started making excuses to leave, distracting Charlie so she could get her badge back, that something in Richard clicked and before he can stop himself, he's asking for her number so he can give her a call sometime. "Maybe get some coffee or something?" he suggested. The detective eyed him and Charlie for a long moment before thinking about the little red head she just met and then something clicked. Before she could stop herself, she handed him her card, letting him know that the cell number was her personal cell. He accepted the card, keeping it away from grabby hands, as he assured her he'll call soon. They exchanged goodbyes one last time before she slipped away, jogging around the school once again to find her car while he turned his attention back to picking his daughter out of the crowd of kids coming out of the building.
He spent the next day and half thinking about the card Beckett had handed him, wondering if he should call, when he should call, until he couldn't stand it any more. Jumping up out of his chair, Rick quickly headed into his bedroom, riffling through the hamper until he found the jeans he'd been wearing. Frantically, he began going through the pockets until he finally pulled out the card. A minute later he was sliding back into the chair behind his desk as he dialed his cell phone. He swallowed hard as he listened to the phone ring, hoping that he hadn't waited too long to call. Just as he was worrying about not having waited long enough, she picked up.
"Detective Beckett? It's Richard Castle," he said when she answered. "We met the other day at my daughter's school?"
"I remember," she assured him. He's pretty sure he could hear her smiling on the other end of the call.
"Well, I was just wondering if you still wanted to get together for coffee?"
Fandom Castle
Paring Kate Beckett/Richard Castle, mentions of Meredith Castle/Richard Castle
Rating PG13
Summary AU: In an alternate universe, Castle and Meredith try to save their failing marriage with another baby. 6 months after the divorce, he meets Detective Kate Beckett. . .
Warnings Kid fic, I guess. If that's really a warning in this fandom? Alternate Universe, Canon timeline fudging.
Richard Castle's marriage was falling apart and he knew it. In fact, he'd known that things were falling apart for a while now but he'd been in denial about it, telling himself that the problems with the marriage were due to the time he and Meredith spent apart, that as soon as she started landing roles in New York again they'd be able to smooth things out.
Only Meredith didn't want to stay in New York. She was making a name for herself in LA, having landed a fairly steady stream of guest staring roles on a bunch of high rated sitcoms. She was making connections and friends and she had no real intention of ever returning to New York.
"You can write from anywhere, Rick," she told him, tossing her red hair over her shoulder as she studied him. As soon as she knew that she had his eye, she carefully crossed one leg over the other, making sure that her skirt inched just that much higher. He swallowed hard, he couldn't help it; she'd been gone for a long time and he was looking after an almost 3 year old who rarely remembered to knock before barging into a room.
"And you can work anywhere, Meredith," he countered. "Your resume is fantastic compared to when you last tried to work here, maybe you should try again. I can talk to my mother, see if she knows of anyone. . ." his wife cut him off, standing up quickly before walking over to him.
"I've made a name for myself in Los Angeles," she pointed out. "What impresses casting directors for a TV show is different from someone producing live theatre." The two stopped and stared at each other for a long moment before she finally broke the silence, muttering about why he had to send Alexis to pre-school today.
"I sent her because routine is important to Alexis," he pointed out. "I also sent her because she likes pre-school, she likes to learn, to play with her friends. She'll be home for lunch and a nap and then she's all yours." Meredith sent him one last look before she left his study, calling out to him that she was going out and would be back later.
Late that night, as Meredith sat in bed listening to Rick poke restlessly at his keyboard, her mind drifted back to earlier that afternoon, when Alexis had burst into the loft, wrapping herself first around Rick's legs and then Meredith's, all the while chattering on about how 3 of her classmates had gotten little brothers and sister over summer break and could she have one too? Meredith had blanched at the thought, but Rick had rescued the moment, telling the little girl that babies were something he and her mother would have to discuss, but they promised to let her know when they made up their mind. Satisfied, Alexis had followed Rick into the kitchen for lunch and when she woke up from her nap, all she was concerned about was playing with Meredith, so the woman had thought little more about babies and instead had focused on her daughter.
"You want another baby, don't you?" Rick jumped, startled to hear Meredith's voice right behind him. He quickly saved his document and closed the laptop, spinning his chair around to look at her.
"You know I do," he answered without question. He had always assumed that they'd have at least 2 kids, maybe more if he could talk her into the idea. He wanted Alexis to grow up with everything he didn't have; a stable home, both parents and a sibling or two. Raising Alexis alone 90 percent of the time while her mother was in LA was not part of the plan, not even in his wildest dreams. "But I also know that you don't," he said, hoping that his voice sounded as level to her as it did to him.
"Maybe you're right," she said suddenly as she glided closer to him and sat herself in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Maybe Alexis does need a playmate and maybe I should try my luck in New York again." Rick's brow furrowed slightly as he held on to his wife, confused about her sudden change of heart on the matter. He remembered the fighting they'd done when she found herself pregnant with Alexis. Meredith had spent three straight days yelling at him for forgetting the condom that one night when they were both more than a little drunk after a party his publishing company had thrown. She had also spend the months after Alexis' birth blaming him for how long it took her to get her body back.
"Seriously?" he finally asked, not really sure what else to say.
"Of course I'm serious, Richard!" she exclaimed with a giggle as she tightened her grip on him, pulling him close so she could kiss him. "I've been thinking about this for a while." He pointed out her reaction to Alexis' question earlier in the day and she brushed him off, offering excuses about surprises and shock that she would even ask such a thing. Meredith was quick to suggest that they start work on their new project immediately, but he put her off, asking that they give themselves a couple of days to settle into family life again. Reluctantly, Meredith agreed and Rick allowed her to pull him to bed with her. There was nothing wrong with practicing in the mean time. . .
Much like with Alexis, when they decided to finally try, they got pregnant the first month. Paula had shaken her head a little when Rick told her send out a press release and his mother had been less than enthusiastic when he'd told her there was another little Castle on the way.
"I just hope you know what you're doing, Kiddo," Martha told him as she patted him on the arm before standing up from the small table they were sharing at a neighbourhood cafe. She kissed him on the cheek and gave him one more look before she slipped out of the cafe and Rick remembered why he hadn't said anything about this to his mother before hand. She didn't really like Meredith as a person and thought she was rather horrid mother, not that she had set the bar all that high herself. "I never abandoned you to work on the other side of the country," was one of her favourite arguments against Meredith.
He didn't really care though. He loved Meredith and loved Alexis and wanted them all to be happy and so far they were, at least he convinced himself that they were happy. He needed this family to work and Meredith seemed to really be on board this time, embracing the pregnancy, even flaunting it for the paparazzi. She was quickly becoming the mother he'd always hoped she'd be, the wife he'd always hoped for, and he was hard pressed to believe that it was all an act, having grown up with an actress.
He and Meredith had each done a lot of growing up since Alexis was born, Meredith had just needed to be out on her own to do hers.
Charles Dakota Castle came into the world on December 1st, his predicted due date, which pleased his mother, and amused his father, to no end. Alexis was ecstatic, content to sit anywhere and let her father pack as many pillows around her as he could, just so she could hold her brother and talk to him. Rick was never exactly sure what they talked about, but Charlie was more than content to sleep in his sisters arms as she talked to him about everything and nothing.
Meredith, on the other hand, was mostly glad that Charlie had come on time and not late like Alexis had been, she was also pleased to see that the Hollywood meal planner she'd been in touch with had been worth his salt. She had less that 15 pounds to take off after this pregnancy and she was sure she'd be back on stage or in front of a camera soon.
And she was back on stage within months of having Charlie. Meredith had managed to get a small role in a play that stayed on Broadway for 3 months before she was called back down to LA to work again.
"It's just a couple of pilots," she told Rick as she packed a bag, doing her best to ignore the look on his face as he cradled a nearly 5 month old Charlie against his shoulder. "Chances are they won't get picked up and I'll be back in a couple of weeks, but they could," he cut her off.
"Lead to other things, bigger things," he finished. It was the same story she'd told him when she had packed up and headed to LA when Alexis was tiny.
"All it takes it one good performance, Rick," she told him as she finished packing, doing up her suitcase before placing it and her coat by the door.
"Yeah," he agreed. "One good performance can change everything." He turned and left the room, holding his son a little tighter as he kicked himself for believing Meredith yet again.
Meredith was out and on a plane before the rest of the loft had even woken up. When he did roll out of bed and headed to the kitchen, he found a note from Meredith tapped to the fridge, letting him know that she had managed to get an earlier flight, so she had taken it. She loved them all though, and would call soon. Rick rolled his eyes and sighed heavily as he crumpled up the note and tossed it in the trash before he started on breakfast. Meredith might be gone, but he still had 2 kids to keep track of, one of which needed to be at school in a couple of hours.
It didn't take long for the phone calls and emails from Meredith to start coming. They were full of all her news, about who she was working with and who had set her up to talk to who and just as he was starting to wonder if she was ever going to come back to New York, she was gushing to him over the phone about how she had landed a role in a film, about how this was her moment, her break, and that if the movie did well, she'd have her choice of roles. Rick had quickly felt his spirits lift when she told him that. This is what they had been waiting for, if she could get steady work as a movie actress, she'd have no real reason to stay in LA all the time unless she was filming. She could move back to New York except for when she had to film.
Only as filming began to wrap up and the promotion machine started, so did the gossip mill. And so did the rumours that Meredith Castle was playing house with her director in LA while he stayed home in New York and played Mr. Mom.
Part of him wasn't even surprised when he was served with divorce papers only days before Charlie's first birthday.
Charlie, being a year old, was rather oblivious to the whole event. Meredith had been gone for more of his short life than she'd been around, so he doesn't mind her absence but Alexis took it hard. No matter how many times Rick talked with her about things, the little girl just didn't understand. She was used to her mother being gone for work, but this was different, even if she wasn't exactly sure why. Alexis understood what a divorce was, even though she was only 3, almost 4, it was hard to avoid a life experience like divorce when you were growing up in the upper echelon of New York society. Hell, Rick knew for a fact that a couple of her friends were already on their second step mother.
As the divorce dragged through the courts, Page Six and the other tabloids started to get desperate for a scoop. He and Meredith were being far to civil about the proceedings as far as they were concerned, especially when it came to the custody agreements, Meredith had agreed to sole custody without any fight at all and Rick couldn't help but think that she had finally done something right for their kids.
"Can't mommy just say she's sorry and then come home?" Alexis asked quietly one night as Richard tucked her in.
"I don't think there are enough sorry's to really fix this," he told her sadly as he sat on the edge of her bed. He'd never had any luck lying to the girl before and he honestly does not have the energy right now to start. "There are, however, more than enough sorry's for anything you or Charlie might do, okay?" The redhead thought about that for a moment before nodding her head and clutching Monkey Bunkey a little tighter. He made sure she's tucked in and kissed her on the forehead, offering her one more I love you and a good night before he slipped out of her room, leaving the door open a crack. Rick padded across the short hallway to look in on his son, pleased to see that the boy is dead to the world, sucking occasionally at the pacifier held tightly in his mouth. Satisfied, Richard headed downstairs to his study, flicking the baby monitor on as he sat in his chair and stared blankly at his laptop. Gina was harassing him about final edits and he'd been having a hard time making himself do them, his heart isn't really in it any more.
Truth be told, he'd lost interest in Derek Storm a while ago, but the divorce had just left him too raw to cover that fact up any more. If he hadn't been obligated to write one more book, he would have scrapped the last few chapters and put Storm, and himself, out of their misery. With a final groan, he finally pulled himself to his desk and opened the manuscript, pulling up the last few chapters so he can finish the edits, send it off and not think about it for a few months.
Because what he needed was more time to stew about Meredith, the divorce, the kids, the gossip, the rumours, the tabloids, his mother's I Told You So's . . .
Kate Beckett sighed and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. Whoever had scheduled this 'speaking engagement' was a moron, as far as she was concerned. Who in their right mind scheduled anything down town just after lunch? It didn't really matter though, because she had been the one to pull the short straw and she was the one who was no stuck in traffic as she tried to make her way to one of the many private grammar schools in New York so that she could deliver the standard 'Always ask to see a badge first.' lecture to the newest crop of kindergartners. Kate had never understood why the NYPD didn't give this little lecture at the beginning of the school year, instead of the end of the year but it wasn't her place to question the decision.
She hoped she'd get lucky, that this class would actually know how to sit still for 5 minutes, unlike the last class she had been in. She had been suckered into giving this little talk her first year as a detective and it had been hell. The kids were all grumpy and over stimulated and unable to sit still for more than 10 seconds at a time. They also didn't care about what she had to say, they just wanted to see her gun.
Eventually though, she made it to the school, a Greendale Elementary, and felt no guilt about abusing her police power to park in the back of the school; the thought of having to try and find an actually parking space was just a little too much to deal with at the moment. Quickly, she ran a hand through her hair before sliding out of the car and heading in, making sure to stop at the main office to not only get directions, but to leave her service weapon there as well. She hated the idea of being without it while on duty, but there was no reason to keep it on her person, especially when she was going to be surrounded by small kids. As she found the right room, she allowed herself a moment to wrangle her patience before knocking on the door frame. It wasn't long before she was being welcomed into the room by a chorus of "Good afternoon Detective Beckett!" from the kids gathered on the rug in front of her. She was quick to offer them a smile before launching into the memorized speech about asking strangers to see a badge when they claim to be a police officer.
"How come you don't have to wear a uniform?" one of the boys called out from the back, interrupting her carefully memorized speech. Kate paused for a moment before explaining that some police jobs didn't need a uniform. It wasn't long after that that the speech was forgotten as more little hands shot up into the air to ask questions.
Kate wasn't surprised at all when the next question she was asked was about her gun. She also wasn't surprised at the groan of disappointment and sudden lack of interest when she told them she wasn't allowed to show it to them.
"If you don't have to wear a uniform, do you still get to drive a police car? And use the lights and sirens?" Kate turned towards the voice and saw that it was coming from a little slip of a girl with big blue eyes and bright red hair.
"I have an undercover car," she said, explaining that it looked just like any other car on the road. "Until I turn the lights and siren on," Kate finished with a small grin as the class came back to life, talking amongst themselves about the lights and sirens and comparing how many times they'd each seen a police car racing to a crime scene.
"Can we see it?" the girl asked again. The class immediately dropped into silence as 18 pairs of eyes landed on Kate while Kate shifted her gaze to the teacher.
"If Detective Beckett doesn't mind, yes, we can go out and look." The kids were soon pulling off their indoor shoes and jockeying for position to put on their outdoor shoes as the teacher spoke up again. "I also think that Alexis should lead the class, seeing as it was her idea to ask." There was some grumblings among the male population of the class, but the little red head, Alexis, just grinned a little as she calmly went about her business. As the group made their way out of the school, Kate looked down in surprise as she felt a little hand slip into hers.
"I'm Alexis," she said, when Kate looked down at her. "Can I turn the lights on?"
"You don't want to turn the siren on?" Beckett asked her, more than a little confused. Usually all she heard about after one of these things was how the kids ended up fighting over who would turn the siren on and off. Alexis shook her head before explaining that it was too loud, she wanted to play with the lights. Kate could only smile and swing their hands a little as they kept walking.
Rick leaned against the fence that ran around Greendale Elementary, watching as Charlie toddled around in the grass, stooping down to poke at a bug or pick a flower every now and then. Rick watched as Charlie shifted his gaze from the ground to the side of the school.
"Come on Charlie," Rick called as he saw the group of kids heading their way. Charlie took one more look at the group before he turned around and headed back over to Rick, his arms stretched above his head. Rick bent quickly and swung Charlie up into his arms just in time to look back at the group. He picked daughter out easily as she was the only red head in the class but he paused when he saw her holding the hand of a woman he didn't know. She was tall and dark haired with a pale complexion and a beautiful smile with a laugh to match. She obviously told some kind of joke that caused Alexis and several of her classmates burst out laughing at what ever it is she said.
"Daddy!" Alexis called as soon as she saw Richard and Charlie. She dropped the woman's hand and started to take off but her teacher called her back. He smiled at the light flush that appeared on Alexis' face at being scolded for forgetting the rules. It didn't stop her from shooting the pair a quick smile and a wave before she turned and headed back to the group, falling back into place beside the mystery woman. The teacher gathered the kids and soon a chorus of "Thank you Detective Beckett!" was heard. As the woman, Beckett, offered the group a few parting words, Rick could feel his smile growing. There was just something so adorable about a chorus of tiny kids. He sobered up quickly when he realized that Becket was headed towards the gate while the class headed back into the building.
"Public service?" he asked her with a smile as she came closer, doing his best to check her out without getting caught at it.
"You could call it that," she said as she stopped in front of him, giving him a quick one over with a practiced eye before continuing. "We go around every now and then and remind them to ask to see a badge when someone claims they're an officer."
"Since you don't all wear uniforms," he finished for her with a nod. "Richard Castle," he said, juggling Charlie so he could offer her a hand. "Writer."
"I know," she said with a grin, not letting it slip that she owns all of his books, has read them all multiple times and has stood in line for over an hour at one of his book signings. "Kate Beckett," she said as she shook his hand, casting a glance at the toddler in his arms. "Detective," she added offering the little boy a small smile. He grinned at her before quickly turning his head into Castle's neck, peaking out at her every now and then, the grin still on his face until he caught sight of the sun glinting off of her badge.
"I know," he said, mimicking her. "This is Charlie," he said when the toddler let out a squawk when Castle didn't make any moves to help him secure the shiny item. "He doesn't say much yet, but he's working on it." Rick shifted the boy to his other arm, moving Charlie's attention from Beckett's badge to her face. Kate smiled at him and shook his little hand too and the boy was instantly enamoured with her, especially once his attention was drawn back down to the badge at her waist. After a few minutes of watching Rick try to contain the almost 18 month old boy, Kate took pity on both of them and unclipped her badge, holding out to Charlie. She smiled as the boys eyes went wide for a moment before he snatched it from her hand and began to play with it. "You just made a friend for life," Rick told her with a smile that she couldn't help but return.
The pair ended up standing by the gate and talking about everything and nothing until one of the ladies in the main office rushed out to them, handing Beckett back her weapon. She blushed, embarrassed that she had forgotten it in the school. They both grinned sheepishly at each other as she slid the holster back into place and muttered about forgetting that her car was in the back as well. Rick was quick to make a few jokes, if only to see the woman smile again, but it wasn't long before Kate started making excuses to leave, distracting Charlie so she could get her badge back, that something in Richard clicked and before he can stop himself, he's asking for her number so he can give her a call sometime. "Maybe get some coffee or something?" he suggested. The detective eyed him and Charlie for a long moment before thinking about the little red head she just met and then something clicked. Before she could stop herself, she handed him her card, letting him know that the cell number was her personal cell. He accepted the card, keeping it away from grabby hands, as he assured her he'll call soon. They exchanged goodbyes one last time before she slipped away, jogging around the school once again to find her car while he turned his attention back to picking his daughter out of the crowd of kids coming out of the building.
He spent the next day and half thinking about the card Beckett had handed him, wondering if he should call, when he should call, until he couldn't stand it any more. Jumping up out of his chair, Rick quickly headed into his bedroom, riffling through the hamper until he found the jeans he'd been wearing. Frantically, he began going through the pockets until he finally pulled out the card. A minute later he was sliding back into the chair behind his desk as he dialed his cell phone. He swallowed hard as he listened to the phone ring, hoping that he hadn't waited too long to call. Just as he was worrying about not having waited long enough, she picked up.
"Detective Beckett? It's Richard Castle," he said when she answered. "We met the other day at my daughter's school?"
"I remember," she assured him. He's pretty sure he could hear her smiling on the other end of the call.
"Well, I was just wondering if you still wanted to get together for coffee?"
