801. Chapter 801

After Under the Gun

Episode 3.03

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I've never hidden that I don't own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

Author's note: The following is based on an online discussion I had with Hamlet 77. In other words, if you like it, it's mine. If you don't, it's his.

Before.

Two people were out walking on the streets of Manhattan that night who, unbeknownst to each other, did have a connection. One was Simone Renoir, a beautiful vampire who was looking forward to her four hundredth birthday. The other one was Officer Mike Royce, NYPD.

Royce was headed for a little bodega near his place to buy a six pack when he saw five young men run out. Shortly thereafter, Antonio, the night manager, staggered out, bleeding from the head. "Help!" he yelled.

"What happened?" Royce said, running towards the injured man. "You hurt?"

Antonio shook his head. "I'm okay, Royce. Those punks robbed me. Get 'em for me."

Royce took off running, pulling out his phone to call for backup. His battery was dead. He'd forgotten to charge it. Then he saw a familiar figure ahead of him. "Kid!" He screamed. She ignored him. "Beckett! Over here."

Simone heard the name Beckett and turned around. She recognized the man as the partner of the cop who'd gotten into her room, looking for a badly injured woman. Simone had been shot in the chest, but being dead, it hadn't hindered her in any way. "What?" She yelled, trying to disguise her voice.

"Call for backup. Those punks ahead of me robbed Antonio's bodega."

Simone wasn't about to involve the authorities in her life, but she felt she owed the policewoman who had cared enough about her to come after her. And this was her partner. As soon as Royce disappeared around a corner, she jumped easily ahead of Royce and caught the slowest of the thieves. She tripped him and then kicked him in the side, breaking three ribs. Then she kicked him in the jaw, dislocating it.

She could hear Royce catching up to her and jumped to the next thug, stopping in front of him. She clotheslined the man, then kicked him in the knee, shattering the patella. The next thug was tiring and she caught him easily, breaking his jaw, nose and finally she knocked out four teeth.

The last thug was bent over, panting when she reached him.

"You should surrender." She said softly.

"And you should die, bitch." He reached for a pistol in his waistband, but Simone jumped him. She grabbed his wrist, turned inside of him, pulling his arm down over her shoulder. She felt his shoulder dislocate.

She looked up to see the male cop running towards her. "I'll call it in." She yelled, then ran around the corner and jumped as far as she could.

The next day Royce got to Beckett before roll call. "What did you use on those guys last night, Kid? A baseball bat? They're all in the hospital. Look, don't say a word about being there. If there's any heat, I'll take it."

Kate was confused. "I wasn't anyplace last night."

Royce smiled and nodded. "That's it, Kid. You don't know a thing."

She never did figure out what Royce was talking about and the thugs never said a word, being embarrassed at being so badly beat up by a woman.

During.

Royce still held her hand, sitting there in the bar. "So, tell me about Castle."

Kate shrugged. "There's nothing to tell. He's following me for his books, that's all."

Royce shook his head and smiled. "Come on, Kid. I know better than that. He's been following you for over a year. And you two made the news not long ago. He ran into your burning apartment to get you out and then he got in a gunfight with some psycho serial killer. That is not shadowing you for a book."

Kate took a sip of beer to give herself time to think. "It's complicated with me and Castle, Mike."

"Complicated for who?"

"For both of us."

Royce shook his head. "You know this business can uncomplicate things really fast."

"What do you mean by that?"

"If Castle keeps following you, a guy with no police tactical training, and more importantly, no weapon, and one day he'll go to a crime scene with you and come out in a body bag. Do you want that?"

"Of course not. Why would you even ask?"

"Because it's pretty obvious he's risking his life for you, not for some book."

"Mike, he has a girlfriend."

"And she lets him run around with you all day? And take a chance at getting his head blown off? Sounds like she really cares for him." He said sarcastically.

"She's also his publisher." Beckett said quickly.

"So she could lose her boyfriend and her writer all at once?"

"Mike, it's really complicated."

"Okay, if you say so. But I think you might want to let him know where this complicated relationship is going, or not going, while he's still alive."

Later, after she arrested Royce, he leaned forward. "You did notice that Castle was the only one here with no gun, right?"

Kate Beckett had a lot to think about that night.

After.

Richard Castle sat in the Old Haunt, drowning his sorrows. He had learned that Kate Beckett didn't love him. She had lied to him about hearing him say he loved her. Worse, he still loved her and didn't know how, or if, he could end things between them.

I could keep following her, of course, just like nothing had changed. I could see her smile every morning when I bring her coffee. But I'd know the smile doesn't mean anything. Sooner or later I'd have to leave. She'll find someone. Watching her with Demming and Doctor Motorcycle Boy was horrible. What if she got married? Could I stand being around her knowing there was nothing there for me? But can I just walk in and say goodbye? End it like that?

He suddenly saw a familiar, slender figure out of the corner of his eye. Beckett? What the hell is she doing here?

He managed to get out of his booth and walk, none too steadily, over to her. "Beckett. What are you doing here?"

He knew something was wrong as soon as she turned around. Her hair was shorter and darker and her face was younger. "I beg your pardon?" She said.

The accent was French. He shook his head to clear it. "Sorry. I thought you were someone I knew."

"Someone you don't know well enough to call by her first name?" She smiled at him. It was so much like Kate his heart sank.

"No, actually, it's someone I love. I'm very sorry to have bothered you. I'm the owner. Please have anything you want on the house." Castle got the bartender's attention. "Give her whatever she wants. It's on the house."

When Castle got back to his booth, he was surprised that the woman had followed him and sat down across from him. "Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm really not in a mood to be with anyone tonight."

She shrugged. "We French are romantics. How could I not want to know more about a woman who looks like me that you love, but who doesn't love you in return? It is so sad. I'm Simone. Please tell me about this woman."

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was that this woman looked so much like Beckett, but once he started talking, he couldn't stop. Finally, he ran out of words and looked across at the woman.

"This is wrong. Sitting here, getting drunk and feeling sorry for yourself. You will accomplish nothing. You need to confront her. Let her know you love her. Force her to react to your love. Who knows, maybe she does love you after all."

"She has a damned funny way of showing it."

Simone smiled. "Love is often damned, and often funny. Go to her." Simone stood up and pulled Rick up. He thought she was awfully strong. She herded him outside and hailed a cab. "Go to her. Give the cabby her address."

As he settled back in the cab's back seat, he hoped he was doing the right thing. But at least he had a plan.