The Monkey Cabal

Castle Fic

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:50:29 GMT

Title: Dutch Act
Series: Castle
Characters: Beckett, Castle, Alexis
Rating: PG, though there is mention of suicide.
Summary: I had the urge to write yesterday. Rare these days, I know. I asked the roomie to give me a prompt before the urge disappeared, and she gave me "friend of Castle's dies -- looks like suicide -- and Beckett shags the case".

***

Nikki brushed the hair off the girl's cold, alabaster forehead. The smear of blood slashed over pale skin like an accusation. Not fast enough. She hadn't been fast enough.

"Dad? Hey, dad!"

"Sweetpea, I am in the zone. You know the rules of the zone," Rick Castle muttered, not looking up from his computer as his daughter threw open the door to his office. His fingers never faltered in their dance over the keyboard.

Alexis paused inside the door and shrugged apologetically. "Yeah, sorry, but Kate's here."

Castle's fingers stilled at that and he glanced at his daughter, a bemused smile on his lips. "When did Detective Beckett become Kate?"

"Remember when you sprained your ankle--"

He snorted and turned back to his computer, trying to finish the thought on page before the interruption claimed his concentration completely. "A manly injury received in the line of duty."

"Yeah, yeah, you were chasing down a perp," Alexis said in her best hard-boiled gumshoe before breaking into a giggle, "and then you tripped over an old lady's dog."

Castle rolled his eyes and stood up to move around his desk and attempted to affectionately muss her hair. "That's not the story I intend to tell."

She fended him off and stepped back out of reach. "Anyway, while you were in x-ray, we sort of bonded."

"Over what?"

"What do you think?" She asked, arching one eyebrow.

Castle crossed his arms and a felt a little spike of masculine panic at the thought of his daughter and the detective in cahoots. "I think I'm uneasy about this whole situation."

"Castle."

Beckett appeared in the doorway, her face set in a grim mask he'd learned to hate the look of. It never spoke of anything good. He grinned over the sudden queasy knot in his stomach. "What are you doing bonding with my daughter?"

Beckett didn't take the bait. Turning to Alexis, she offered the girl a thin smile. "I need to talk to your dad for a few minutes."

"Oh, yeah, sure. I have homework." She hesitated only a moment, shooting her dad an uncertain look at the shift in mood, before heading off towards her room.

Castle frowned and called after her, "Shouldn't you be watching cartoons first?"

"Homework, then cartoons, dad," she called back with a laugh.

"She is my greatest mystery," he told Beckett. "So, what's up, Detective? You're not usually one for the casual visit. Not that I'm complaining, but--"

"Do you know Kyle Hartly."

"Kyle? Yeah, he's an old friend. We go back a way. Why? You a big fan of his, too? I don't have to fight him for you, do I?"

Beckett pursed her lips and glanced around his office. This wasn't going to be a comfortable conversation and she wasn't in the mood to let him drag it out. "Castle, you're not an idiot."

He was silent for a moment before walking back around his desk and making sure he'd saved his work. "No, I don't suppose I am. What happened?"

"It looks like suicide. Gunshot to the head, appears self-inflicted."

The queasy feeling in in his stomach turned into a heavy ball of ice. He could feel the cold, spikey shock wash over his skin. "You're sure it was him?"

Beckett nodded, tight-lipped. "Yeah, we are."

He closed his laptop with a snap and stared down at the smooth wood of his desk. "God damn it."

She stepped closer and picked up one of the Russian dolls he had scattered across his office. This was the worst part of the job, and having to give this sort of news to a friend was a knife of pain through her chest. "When was the last time you spoke with him?"

Castle sat down heavily and rubbed a hand through his hair. "Just a few emails lately. Maybe four or five months ago. His wife didn't like me, thought I was a bad influence."

"Can't imagine why," Beckett muttered, lobbing the little challenge at him.

The thick chill had wrapped itself so tightly around him that, much as he wished he otherwise, he couldn't come up with anything to toss back. He managed to make his lips twist into something like a smirk. "Right? They moved to Savannah two years back. I didn't know he was in town."

"A little more than a week, it looks like." She put down the doll and stared at the framed book covers on the wall. "Had himself a suite at the W."

"Meetings with his publisher, maybe?" Castle asked, trying to sort through the tangle of emotions as confusion set in through the chill.

"I don't know yet. He didn't call you?"

"Not as far as I know. I mean, you know how my mother can be about phone messages, but ..."

"Right. I caught this one, it looks like suicide, but you know I'll investigate thoroughly before I confirm." She could give him that, at least. Everything said suicide, but she'd look damn it, and she'd make sure.

"I know," he said quietly. "You don't let things slide. How come you didn't call me in?"

"It seemed straight-foward, and I didn't know you were connected until I visited the scene. He had your name in his notebook." She paused to chew at her lip. "You're alibied."

He took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes, looking at her intently. "Was that a concern?"

"You know it's just procedure, Castle. Time of death was around 12:30 this afternoon, the same time you were irritating dozens of cops in the 12th."

He appreciated her attempt at lightening the mood and forced a grin. "Mostly, I think I was just irritating one cop in the 12th, and entertaining dozens more. Which was weird, because I was trying to entertain the one, and wasn't really thinking about the dozens. Clearly, some sort of tactical failure on my part."

"Clearly." She sighed and gave him a pointed look. "You're on the bench for this one, Castle. I just wanted you to hear the news from me. But, if you think of anything..."

"You're number three on my speed dial."

Beckett laughed a little and shook her head. "Just three?"

"Well, one is voicemail, two is Alexis, and three is you. I'd say that's pretty high up there."

"I guess so," she allowed and graced him with a small smile. "I've gotta go."

He nodded and sat back in his chair. "If you find anything that says it's not a suicide--"

"Castle," she warned.

"If you find anything, you tell me," his voice was as hard and intense as she'd ever heard it. She hated the world just a little bit for making him sound that way.

"That's not how it works."

"Yes it is. You tell me."

"There's not always a bad guy," she told him quietly, trying to keep the slump out of her shoulders. "I'm sorry about your friend, Rick."

He waited until he heard the front door shut before he reached for his notepad and phone.

***

Beckett closed the file and pinched the bridge of her nose. There wasn't always a bad guy. Sometimes there were bills overdue, and too much alcohol, and stress, and a history of depression, and sometimes those lows got awfully low.

She felt him approach her desk more than she heard him; for a big guy he could be freakishly stealthy. Not that she'd ever tell him that and risk having him show up at the precinct dressed as a ninja or something.

When Castle sat down next to her with a tired sigh, she shoved the file over to him and wearily leaned back in her chair.

"He lost a lot of money in some bad investments," she reported quietly, "and his last advance wasn't enough to cover bills coming due. He'd come up here to meet with his publisher and ask for more, but they turned him down yesterday. His recent books haven't sold very well, and he was late on his next one."

He stared down at the file, not picking it up, not reading it, just stared. He tapped it a couple times with his fingers and pushed it back over to her unopened. "He'd also been on medication for depression for years, longer than I had any idea, but he let his prescription lapse a few months ago. And his wife was having an affair with a charter fishing boat captain."

She dropped her head back and stared up at the ceiling. He was endlessly exasperating. "I'd ask how you knew that, but you'd probably just tell me and then I'd have to be pissed at you for not staying out of it like I told you to."

He huffed a laugh. "Your partner's a pretty good detective, you have to admit."

"No, I don't. And you're not my partner." She regretted the words immediately when his eyes darted away from her and his expressive face went still and blank. "On this case," she clarified.

He accepted that with a gracious nod and a half smile. "I knew you'd find the truth, whatever it might turn out to be, but I couldn't just sit around and wonder."

"I'm surprised I wasn't tripping over you."

"I can also be discreet."

She laughed at that and propped her chin on one hand. "I am sorry, Rick. I really am."

"Sometimes there's no bad guy. Don't know if that makes it better or worse."

"It is just what it is. Sad and ugly, either way."

He stared back down at the file, pain and confusion warring in his eyes. "He could have called me."

"Looked like he thought about it, and decided not to. There's no way to know why he didn't. Don't torture yourself over it," she told him gently but firmly.

"Yeah." He rubbed his palms on his knees and then stood up abruptly. "Well, I think this calls for a night of not thinking. Can I interest you, Detective?"

"Gotta work tomorrow, Castle."

He tsked at her and leaned over her desk into her personal space. "You should really hear my offer before you shoot me down."

She raised an eyebrow at the implied challenge. "Lay it on me, pal."

Castle's voice dropped into a low, seductive growl. "You, me, Alexis, our 60 inch plasma, cheesy popcorn, and a dvd player full of irradiated insects, conniving aliens, and evil space queens."

"Gee, what girl could resist?"

He grinned that insufferably arrogant grin of his and raised his chin. "Not the right one."

She stared at him for a moment. He was always pushing, and it was just instinct to shove back. Unfortunately, sometimes that shove pushed aside friendship, too. He was a pain in her ass, but he didn't really deserve that. Not tonight. And Beckett figured if it wasn't her and Alexis, he might decide to hang out with Jack and Jose instead.

"Alright, Castle. But, I get to choose the seating arrangements and Alexis is not your wingman."

The tightness she'd seen in his eyes since she'd told him about Hartly's death eased and his smile was broad and genuine. "But, I've been training her for years," he wheedled.

She stood up and reached for her jacket. "Castle."

He gave her his best puppy eyes expression. "At least let her practice."

Rolling her eyes, she cuffed him on the shoulder then pulled him into a quick, hard hug.

"Thanks," he muttered into her hair.

"No problem." Stepping back, she pulled on her jacket and brushed back her hair. "Now, I think you promised me b-movies and snackfood."

"I am a man of my word," he confirmed solemnly. She raised an eyebrow and he shrugged. "Okay, sometimes."

##

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:23:51 GMT

Happy Halloween, my friends.

First, some pictures of cuteness. You can, of course, skip if you want (but, why would you? Don't you want some cute? Don't you? What's wrong with you? Don't be hating on the cute.)

Lilli Fairy (clearly this is good Lilli)

Contrast with Evil Lilli (i love this picture so much)

HuJo's needs a little explanation. This is just the first part of his costume. He's a golfer -- thus the pants, tweed cap, etc, (and golf club, not shown) but the twist is, he's a golfer who's been struck by lightening. Heh. My sister was still working on the lightening bolt when she sent the pictures. And she's going to give him a blue ring-pop to turn his lips blue. Ahahahahaha! His dad is going to be his caddy.

• I finally watched Castle, and now, for the life of me, I can't figure out why I never watched it before. Such fun! Mom was funny, we swap shows and I was telling her about it, 'cause I think she'll enjoy it, and she's all "wait! let me look it up on hulu. Hey! I know that guy, he was on One Life to Live." Heh. She tells me I should watch Modern Family, so I'll probably give that a try next. I'm not a big fan of sitcoms, but I hear good things about that one.

• Remember how I said I was going to recap/review the pilot of SGU? I lied, dudes. Totally. I tried, though, but the badness is just so very bad. Interesting fact: of the first five minutes of the series, four of them feature nothing but people screaming, and at one point, screaming in slow motion. For the extra CAN'T YOU FEEL HOW DRAMATIC THIS IS drama, to be sure.

The characters are terrible cliches, sometimes almost offensively so. The episodes are Stargate Trope o' the Week. So far the series has offered nothing new to the Stargate universe/franchise except to illustrate how far the SGC has fallen in just a few years (how do people this undisciplined and hysterical get into the SGC? Seriously?). I just don't get the point of this show. Except, how it's totally Edgy and Dark and Mature and SERIOUS ZOMG! Yuck.

• White Collar's pilot was fun. And hey! It's Bryce Larkin. Haven't seen this week's ep yet. Will watch soon.

• I was going to make the roomie watch Ghost Hunters tonight, but my disks were all fail in the DVD player (and I'm not interested in Skiffy's liveish thing tonight) so I think we're going to watch selected eps of season one Supernatural -- the haunted asylum, the creepy haunted painting, the freaky scarecrow, etc. That'll be fun.

• Brain has decided to kick into high gear with the weird dreams again. (Mom: You always have weird dreams, or do you mean, weird even for you?) Weird even for me. The first was bizarre and surreal but cool and I think I might use it. I think it might be the missing piece to a thing I've been chewing on forever.

Last night's was weird but less cool and more creepy. Went to sleep at an almost normal human hour (11:30), woke from this dream all disoriented, looked at the clock and ... it was only 1:15. Oh, brain, aren't we tired? Don't we need sleep? Why you gotta be like this? Fell back asleep, only to have the dream pick up where it left off. Woke again disoriented, looked at the clock and it was only 4:30. Fell asleep again, dream picked up again, woke up at 6 and gave up.

A creepy cult leader born in the rural south in 1935 was using some sort of wizbang nano-tech on people who were in persistent vegetative comas to create a kind of psychic computer and he had a weird fascination with me. Like since I was a baby. A woman called Caroline Francis had gone to my mother shortly after I was born, and in a long crazy talk ramble told her all about this guy. Mom told me years later, but only in a "weirdos we run into in life" sort of way. The guy and his super surveillance army tracked me down at a conference at a high-end think-tank conference center and did everything they could to keep me there, watching me all the time, tracking my phone, setting up a security permitter they busted me trying to breach, and trying to make me watch their sicko brain surgeries on this coma patients.

It was creepy, weird, and not a little unpleasant. THANKS, BRAIN! Much obliged.

Now I'm tired and my head hurts.

• The Denver Broncos are 6-0. AHAHAHAHA! I love my team, I bleed the orange and blue, but I have to admit, I really, really did not see that coming. I was thinking I'd be pretty happy if they went 8-8 this season (9-7 if I was being optimistic) -- super, duper rebuilding off-season and all. But, man, when your team is unexpectedly 6-0 that bye week SUCKS. Thank god tomorrow is Sunday. And thank god they're done with the awful throwback uniforms. Those were fun, for two games, but enough is quite enough.

• I guess that's it for now. Once again, Happy Halloween!

Hmmm

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:46:39 GMT

Apparently I've won a Palm Pre from AMC's The Prisoner contest thing at Comic Con. I'm not really sure what to do with a Palm Pre. It looks nifty, though, and hey! I'm a winner!

In other news, I've been feeling vaguely fannish this weekend, and since I haven't done it in a long while, I've started a recap/review of the first three hours of Stargate Universe, if anybody's at all interested. I'm through the first fifteen minutes! So, buzzing right along.

Happy Wednesday, everybody.

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:42:55 GMT

Broncos are 5-0! I'm ecstatic and exhausted. Hell of a game. I'm too wound up still to be coherent. I love this team, I love this coach. I am full of love. Except maybe not much for the uniforms, which are godawful toxic in action.

Now, your turn, Rockies! Kick some Philly ass tonight. In, you know, freaking 20 degree weather. Smooth move MLB and TBS. Night game in Denver in October? Seriously?

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:26:51 GMT

whatever you do, don't look directly at the socks.

I looked at the socks, ray

Nigeling and Such

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:30:16 GMT

14:05 poor cbs. it must be so frustrating to have to interrupt all those commercials with a few minutes of football here and there. #
16:16 w00t! Broncos 3-0! Suck it, msm #
23:21 Invisibility attempts failed today. Conditions were clearly not favorable. Regrouping #