74. Chapter 74

After Tick, Tick, Tick

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer. Rating: K+. K+.K+. Time: See above, see above, see above. And it's just the tiniest bit AU.

Castle sat in the back of the ambulance, having something smeared on the burn on the back of his hand.

"Are you okay?" Beckett asked.

"Yeah." He muttered.

Beckett rolled her eyes. She turned to the paramedic. "How is he?"

Without stopping his work, the paramedic replied, "First degree burn on the back of his left hand, covering maybe twenty square millimeters. Nothing serious. He also has a cut on his left ankle, nice and clean, probably from something metal. He did have a cinder in his left eye, not problem though. All in all, if you're going to go rushing into a burning apartment, you could really expect to get more than he got." The paramedic finished with Castle's hand, "Okay, sir. Why don't you sit here for a while? Take it easy." The paramedic left the ambulance.

"So you're okay?" Beckett asked.

"Weren't you listening? I'm fine." He snapped, not looking at her.

"You don't sound fine."

"So now you're an expert at how I should sound?" He got up and pushed past Kate and walked away from the ambulance.

Beckett thought about just letting him walk away, then thought better of it and went after him. He was standing looking at the wreckage of her apartment building. "I was in there, you know. When the bomb went off."

"Yeah. I noticed." He said shortly.

"If you're angry because I didn't thank you enough for rushing into my apartment, then thank you very much, Castle. Feel better now?" She said sharply.

He said nothing for a minute. "I wrote a Derrick Storm short story once. It was for an anthology that only appeared in Europe. It was called Storm Blast. Derrick Storm was in an old office building in San Francisco that was bombed. I did a lot of research, as I always try to do."

"And?" Kate was confused.

"Bombs will do structural damage to buildings. The floor can collapse, dropping you into the floor below and onto whatever is under you. Or the roof above you can collapse. There was a case where a fire in an apartment was put out, and then a bookcase fell through the ceiling and killed a fireman. Of course, if there's a gas main in the building, gas can build up and explode. There's electricity and water. Stand in a pool of water, a live wire hits the water and zap, you're fried. There was a guy who cut himself on a piece of a bathroom mirror…Well, you get the point."

"How many times would you like me to thank you, Castle? What's your problem?"

"My problem is that I had to stand in a burning apartment while you bitched about the fact that I just might get to see you naked. As if the only possible reason I could have been there was to see you naked. I have news for you, Beckett. I actually have seen naked women before. Quite a few, in fact. And let me tell you, you're nothing special."

Kate was shocked at the vehemence of Castle's comments. And a little angry. "Is that all?"

"No, if you must know. You're not interested in the Nikki Heat movie. I try your patience. I didn't think to have you around when a hooker with information on your case showed up at my home. I went to the same restaurant as you did. Okay, I get in your face at times and you don't like it. So what happens when I get out of your face and get into Jordan Shaw's? Is there some reason that I shouldn't be interested in the FBI's crime solving tools? I write murder mysteries. I also occasionally help solve real crimes. I like to think that maybe knowing something about what's out there might be useful in both parts of my life."

"And I'm building theory with Jordan Shaw. But I should run my ideas past you first. It's not like you've ever been an avid fan of my theories in the past. Were you suddenly going to be embarrassed if I put forward a theory that didn't meet your high standards for my theories?"

"Castle, I have had a very…" Beckett stopped suddenly. Jordan Shaw was heading purposefully towards them. She motioned to Castle to look behind him.

"Are you two arguing?" Shaw asked.

"No!" Castle said quickly.

Shaw looked back and forth at the two. "What are you like when you don't argue?"

"Just like this." Castle said.

"Okay. I'd like to take your statements, if I can. Beckett, I'll take yours, and Special Agent Avery will take yours, Castle."

Castle walked off with Avery while Shaw tool out her notebook.

"A notebook?" Kate asked. "I thought you'd have some sort of a 3D recorder."

"It works." Shaw replied. "So what were you arguing about?"

"We weren't arguing."

Shaw shook he head. "If you're going to lie to a Federal Agent, you really should do a better job of it, Detective."

Kate blushed slightly. "I was in the shower just before the bomb went off. I was naked when Castle found me. I made an issue of not letting him see me naked."

"While you were both standing in a burning apartment?" Shaw asked with a smile.

Kate thought for a moment. "I was not as professional as I could have been." She finally admitted, grudgingly.

"And yet you argued with Castle about it?"

"Is that part of my statement? Because I don't see the relevance here."

"The relevance is, Detective, that I like to know who I'm working with. Their strengths and weaknesses. So, what are Castle's strengths?"

"Pardon?"

"Castle's strengths. You've worked with him quite closely for a year now. In fac,t you've spent a lot more time than I would have imagined. In fact, I'd say he was your partner. You must have some idea of the man's strengths. Tell me." Shaw poised her pen over her notebook.

"He's very knowledgeable about many fields. He knows something about anything and everything, it seems. And he knows people who are experts in…African religions, the CIA, the Arctic, Eastern European languages, all sorts of odd things. He thinks outside the box, very outside the box sometimes. He always wants to get the story. He thinks if you understand the story, you'll understand the crime and the criminal. Oddly enough, he's usually right."

"That's it?" Shaw asked. Beckett nodded. "Odd, Detective Beckett, you didn't mention that he's brave. He went into your apartment and he was ready to go into Conrad's apartment with you with no weapon. Does he often do that?"

"Yes." She said shortly.

"Just making sure. "Shaw said mildly. "What about his weaknesses?"

"He's self-centered, he won't listen, he does what he damned well pleases, he won't shut up…" Kate ran out of things to say.

"You left out that he's seemingly obsesses about seeing you naked." Shaw said quietly.

Kate took a deep breath. "I'm sure Castle would love to see me naked, but he's a gentleman. He wouldn't do anything that would…upset me." She said through clenched teeth.

"Interesting." Shaw said. "Now, your statement. We left you and Castle at the parking garage. Where did you go?"

Both Kate and Rick finished their statements at the same time. As they left the FBI agents, their eyes locked on each other. Castle headed for her, and after a moment's hesitation, she walked to him.

"Castle…"

"Beckett…"

They both said at once.

"Let me go first." Castle said. "Beckett, you are an amazingly beautiful woman, you are very special. And I would run into any building that was on fire just to see your face. I'm sorry about what I said to you. I was way out of line. I had no business criticizing you after what happened to you."

Kate smiled. "And now I know that whenever I'm trapped in a burning building, I can depend on Richard Castle to rescue me. And there's no one I'd rather have rescuing me. Thank you, and I apologize for snapping at you. I know that was pretty hard on you, too."

They stood there and looked at each other for a moment.

"You know, Castle, I'm still totally wired after all that. If you play your cards right, you might be able to buy me a cup of coffee."

"I do know how to play my cards, Beckett."

"I think you do."