62. Chapter 62

After Inventing the Girl

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Oddly enough, I did not invent Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

Alexis and Rina settled down in her room. "So what's modeling like?" Alexis asked.

Rina smiled at her friend. "It's exciting and boring. Glamorous and ugly. Fun and frightening. You meet great people and the biggest creeps you could imagine. You go to the best parties and the worst parties and they're often the same party. It's hard to explain."

Alexis nodded. "I'm not sure I'd like to be a model."

"You don't have any reason to. You're smart, you can be anything you want. Get into a good college, and before you know it, you're rich and famous when I'm a has-been model at thirty."

"That bad?"

Rina shrugged. "Or I may marry a rock star and live in a chateau in the south of France."

They both laughed.

"So, you want to hear something funny, Alexis?"

"Sure."

"It's about your dad."

"Oh, Rina, in that case, tell me. Tell me everything."

Rina leaned in to Alexis. "When I went over to see him, he had no idea who I was."

"Well, you are a lot different now."

Rina giggled. "But he wouldn't admit that he had no idea who I was. He said we'd met at some party, and then tried to fake the details. He was so cute trying to lie to me like that."

Alexis giggled, too. "For someone with a great poker face, he can be so transparent some times. What did you do?"

"I flirted with him. I batted my eyes at him, which was so cool because I had these huge, huge false eyelashes on. I asked him to autograph my copy of Cosmo and then I wrote my phone number on his hand."

"What would you have done if he'd really come on to you?"

"Oh, I didn't have to worry about that. His girlfriend was standing right here with him. He wouldn't have done anything. He was probably glad I was gone so he wouldn't feel so foolish in front of her."

"His girlfriend? Rina, he doesn't have a girlfriend."

Rina frowned. "Sure he does. The cop he was with. Tall, slender, nice body, great cheekbones, reddish brown hair. She could be a model in fact, but I know she's a cop."

"Do you mean Detective Beckett? Detective Kate Beckett?" Alexis said with a look of shock on her face.

Rina thought for a second. "I'm not sure he said what her name is, but she's the cop in the Cosmo article."

"Rina, Detective Beckett is not my dad's girlfriend. He doesn't have a girlfriend. They just work together. He's following her around for his new book, the Nikki Heat book. She's who he based Nikki Heat on."

"Well, then, I have some news for you, Alexis. He wants her to be his girlfriend if they aren't already. I kept an eye on the two of them. I saw the way he looked at her when she wasn't looking at him. As a model, I've gotten a really good education on how men look at women. He wasn't looking at her like a man who wanted to get her into bed. I've seen that look enough. He was looking at her like a man who wanted a lot more than sex. A whole lot more."

"Oh, my god! Dad and Beckett. I don't believe it. It can't be Beckett. He can't be serious about her."

"Why not? She seems like she's nice. She doesn't beat confessions out of people or something does she?" Rina said jokingly.

"Rina, she's a cop! A homicide detective. And Dad follows her around."

"You? Alexis Castle doesn't like cops? Are you in a gang now or something?" She teased.

"No! I mean, Detective Beckett is a nice person and all of that. But since my dad has been following her around, he's been shot at, he's been beat up, he's been threatened, he's…He's been in danger, and it terrifies me. If he was just following Beckett until the book was done, then he'd quit being with her then. But if he's interested in her, he'll stay with her. He could get killed. He's my dad. I mean, you know about my mom. What if something happened to Dad and I ended up with her? Oh, my god! I can't let that happen. I can't."

She put an arm around Alexis. "Okay, I can see your point. But what can you do? You can't very well tell some cop not to hang around with your dad." Rina scowled at Alexis. "Detective Beckett don't you mess with my dad. If you do, it'll be pistols for two and coffee for one." Then Rina laughed. "And seriously, you can't tell your dad to not see a woman he's interested in. That absolutely will not work."

Alexis nodded slowly. "You're right. I mean it would be fine if he dated her, took her out at night, went places with her. I mean she could move in with us, or they could even get married, as long as Dad was safe."

Rina thought for a minute. "Well, maybe that's it then. If they got together, she wouldn't want him risking his life. So, try to get them together."

Alexis thought about that. "Raising a father is so difficult."

"Maybe we should watch High School Musical instead?" Rina suggested.

Castle looked on happily as Alexis and Rina headed up to Alexis' room. So maybe some good will come from Jenna's death. Maybe I can keep something from happening to Rina. She's a good kid and I have a better idea now about what the fashion industry is really like.

Castle suddenly remembered what he had promised Beckett and reached for his phone. An hour later, after much arguing with Paula, Gina and assorted Black Pawn personnel, he had what he wanted. What she wanted.

Castle smiled to himself. At least Beckett will get the copy of Heat Wave she wants so badly. Castle stopped and thought for a second. Why does she want it so badly? Okay, she's really Nikki Heat. I know that and she probably understands that by now. And I'm Jameson Rook. When Castle imagined Nikki Heat, she always looked exactly like Kate Beckett. Not like Beckett, she was Beckett and no one else. And he was Rook. Oh Crap! Is that it? I've teased her about Nikki being kind of slutty. She isn't. Really, Nikki has feelings for Rook. Just like I wish…Oh crap again! She's going to figure out how I feel about her.

Wait a damned minute. How can Beckett know how I feel about her? I can't figure out how I feel about her. She's the most remarkable, infuriating, fascinating, complex, difficult and desirable woman I've ever met. And I have no clue where I stand with her. I have no idea how to approach her. I have no idea…Crap! I have no idea at all about her.

Okay, okay! She's been nice to me lately. She was happy about how we solved those two inter-connected murders. Everything was fine. But she can change in an instant.

Wait, wait. All you can do is go in tomorrow and calmly and politely give Beckett the advanced copy of Heat Wave. Then it's all up to her.

I'm so screwed.