794. Chapter 794

After The Late Shaft

Episode 2.20

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: They're out to get me because I don't own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

When Castle put her coffee down on her desk, he noticed that Beckett was staring at him oddly. "Do I have shaving cream behind my ear, or something?"

She frowned slightly. "Are you okay?"

It was Castle's turn to frown. "Sure. I'm fine. Why, do I look like I have a fever or something? A rash? Do you have a mirror, Beckett?" Castle started running his hand over his face.

"There must be something wrong with you. Last night Ellie Monroe practically sexually assaulted you on Bobby Mann's show, she invited you to dinner with, and I quote, "Some great dessert", and you told her that you were way behind on the next Nikki Heat." Beckett did her best to look puzzled and not smile. "I thought you said you were actually three chapters ahead of where you were supposed to be? We're you lying to me, Castle? I don't like it when you lie. "

Castle gave her a disgusted look. "Very funny, Beckett. Now I have some police business for us to do. I think Bobby Mann was murdered."

Kate rolled her eyes, but several hours later, after a talk with Lanie, she had to admit Castle was right. She began setting up the murder board. As she worked, she turned briefly to Castle. "Okay, Castle. Spill it."

"How many people did Bobby Mann know that had connections with the police? He told me….."

"No, not that. Why did you turn down Ellie Monroe? The truth."

"I got a call, several, actually, from people who work for the studio. Ellie Monroe wants to play Nikki Heat in the movie. They told me that she's the type of actress that would do anything for a part. Lie, cheat, steal and sleep with anyone who might be able to help her get a part. She's totally non-selective there. Have you ever heard of Mike Dorman?"

Kate frowned. "No. Should I have?"

"He's an indie director. He makes small, meaningful films that are dull and that no one understands. That's why people know they're meaningful. And when he's got a project going, he concentrates on nothing but the project."

She shrugged. "So, I'm like that when I've got a tough case. You know that."

"But I know you change your clothes, bathe and brush your teeth when you're like that. Dorman doesn't. She slept with him to get her part in a film and she slept with him to get her part made bigger once the movie shoot began. Do you have any idea what a man smells like after three months of…No! I don't even want to think about it."

Kate laughed. "But she changes her clothes and washes, right? So why not sleep with her. It's not like you've got a reputation for being so selective."

"Thank you." Castle said sarcastically. "Actually, it's my ego."

"She's not a big enough star for you to sleep with? Her boobs aren't big enough for you? She won't stop when you say "apples"."

"None of the above, Detective Beckett. I want women to want me because I'm ruggedly handsome, charming, gentlemanly, witty, smart, knowledgeable….."

"And egotistical." Kate finished for him.

"It pains me to know that a woman doesn't want to sleep with me because of my many good points, but for purely mercenary reasons. She's sleep with me if I didn't bathe or change my clothes for months." Castle shuddered dramatically. "It's creepy just thinking about it."

"It's hard being Richard Castle, isn't it?" Kate said with false sympathy.

"You bet it is."

Montgomery stuck his head out of his office. "Beckett, Castle. In here now."

When they got inside, Montgomery closed the door. "You're going to have another ride along, Beckett. An actress named Ellie Monroe."

"What?" Castle and Beckett said at once. They both explained why this was a bad idea, cancelling each other out by talking at the same time.

Montgomery held up his hands for silence. "The mayor said it's okay for her to follow you two around. It seems that the network president, Howard Weisberg, is a big contributor to the mayor, and the holding company that own his network also owns the studio that's producing Heat Wave. This actress is up for the part. I know you're not happy with it, but it'll only be for a few days."

Beckett was steaming when they walked out of Montgomery's office. "I have to put up with some useless bimbo who can't do anything but spread her legs?"

"It probably won't be so bad, Beckett. She's here to get in bed with me and I've had years of experience fending off unwanted advances. You'll see, you won't even know she's around."

By that afternoon, Beckett definitely knew Ellie Monroe was around. She stood in the break room while Castle made coffee for them. "She screamed at both of Bobby Mann's ex-wives. She screamed! Does she think that's what an interrogation is?"

"At least you settled things down." Castle said, handing her the coffee.

They walked out to find Ellie standing in front of the murder board. "Ricky, this absolutely has to go in the movie." She dragged Rick over in front of the murder board, pushing Beckett out of the way. "Let me take a selfie of us together." Ellie said smiling.

"That's all we can do for tonight." Beckett said, controlling her temper.

"Oh, in that case, we can share a cab, Ricky."

"I always give Castle a ride home after work," Kate broke in. "I'll be happy to take you to your hotel first, since it's on the way."

Ellie accepted with ill grace.

Once Ellie was dropped off, Castle looked over at Beckett. "Um, we had to go right past your place and mine to get to her hotel."

"If her hotel was in freaking Bolivia, it'd be on the way." She said angrily.

The next morning Rick showed up with coffee for him and Beckett. As soon as he got to her desk, Ellie grabbed both cups and threw them in the trash. "Really, Ricky. How can you drink that swill? I got us some good coffee from a little place I found." She handed Rick a cup.

As soon as Rick could, he went to the break room to make Beckett a cup of coffee. She stood in the doorway and glared at him. "Make one for her, too. With two pumps of sugar free arsenic."

The second interview with Mickey Reed went better that the interviews with the ex-wives, but Beckett was still angry when they got back to the precinct.

"She was even worse with Mickey than she was with you on Mann's show." Beckett said. "I expected her to drag him off to someplace private at any time and have her way with him. And as soon as Mickey was out of sight, she started to hit on you."

"I'm beginning to see how working with me could get on your nerves." Castle said glumly.

She looked around. "Castle, you are a pain in the ass sometimes, but you've done more in ten seconds than she's done the whole time she's been here."

"Really?" Castle said brightly.

"But you're still a pain in the ass."

The next morning Castle got in extra early so that Beckett got her coffee.

Beckett was talking to Montgomery when Ellie came in. She stood by Castle, who was by the murder board. "Ricky, have you been keeping a secret from me?"

"A secret? No. Why?"

"I stopped by your loft and found you gone, but I did have a nice chat with Martha, one actress to another. She implied that you and that detective are an item."

He assumed that Martha was trying to chase Ellie off by suggesting he was with Kate. Castle knew that Beckett would go ballistic if she heard that from Ellie. "No. Me and Beckett? No way. "I'm just following her around for the book. There's nothing between us, believe me. I don't know where Martha got that idea."

Ellie smiled and leaned into Rick. "That's good, because you deserve someone better than that skinny little thing. And the way she dresses. I suppose as a cop she has to look like a man so as not to stand out, but really. And a cop? You and I are artists, Ricky. We deal in intellect and emotion. Someone who deals with such sordid crimes could hardly appreciate you like I do."

Castle was getting angry. "Intellect and emotion? Kate Beckett has plenty of both. She was a pre-law student at Stanford before the murder of her mother caused her to become a cop. And I see the emotion she feels every time she has to talk to the distraught family of a murder victim. We aren't lovers, but we are friends. I admire Kate Beckett immensely and I think she's the most fascinating, challenging, complicated person I've met in years, and I care for her more than you can imagine. If you want the part of Nikki Heat, you should be tagging along with Beckett, not me."

When the case was solved, Ellie Monroe flew back to LA, leaving a relieved Castle and Beckett in her wake. As Kate drove Castle back to his loft, she wondered if she should tell him she'd heard his passionate defense of her after she came out of Montgomery's office, but decided against it.