194. Chapter 194

After Nikki Heat, Yet Again

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: The heat would be on me if I claimed to own Castle. Rating: Time: See above.

Author's note: And a thanks to Steve0618 who started me thinking along these lines.

"Detective Heat! My office?" Captain Montrose motioned to Nikki.

Detective Nikki Heat walked into her Captain's office. "Yes, sir?"

"Have you heard about the movie deal of Rook's?"

Her friend and lover, Jameson Rook had hardly talked about anything else since his magazine article had been optioned for a movie. "Yes, sir. What about it?"

"Natalie Rhodes, the actress who'll be playing Nikki Heat, the fictional you, that is, has asked to shadow you for a while to get an inside look into how a homicide squad works."

Nikki shook her head. "I don't think that would be a good idea, sir."

Captain Montrose smiled. "The mayor thinks it's a good idea. The police commissioner thinks that all of the mayor's ideas are great, and do you know what I think about the police commissioner's ideas?"

"That his ideas are great?" Nikki said resignedly.

"No. I think he's an idiot, but I also think he's the police commissioner. So he gets what he wants. Now, go brief Roach, she should be here in about five minutes."

She went to her desk and called over Detectives Raley and Ochoa, better known as Roach, and explained what they were being asked to do. To her surprise, her team was thrilled.

"Natalie Rhodes?" Ochoa said with a salacious smile. "The chainsaw wielding hooker herself? Cool!"

Raley smiled to himself and said softly. "The blood soaked, braless coed who…" He suddenly looked up at Heat. "Yeah. I'll manage."

"Okay, boys. I want to go over a few things…" Before she could finish, both detectives got up and headed for the elevator in a rush. There, looking every inch a B movie star, stood Natalie Rhodes, braless, in a blouse that showed way too much cleavage and with a skirt that was six inches above her knees. She was a tall blonde whose stature was enhanced by what Nikki could honestly call, "hooker heels".

Every man in the precinct seemed to be gathering around the actress, even Captain Montrose. Nikki gritted her teeth, but did nothing. She could indulge the men of the precinct. For a minute.

Then the elevator door opened. Nikki couldn't see who was coming out, but Natalie screamed, "Rookie!" and threw herself into the arms of Jameson Rook. She kissed him passionately, which he did not seem to object to and rubbed her large boobs over his chest, which Nikki definitely objected to.

Natalie turned to the assembled police. "Rookie is absolutely my favorite reporter. We met backstage at a U2 concert for banning landmines. I mean Bono is cool and all, but when Rookie told me all about how he had to navigate those minefields around Sarajevo and in Chechnya, I tell you, I was his."

Nikki glared at Rook, which he didn't seem to notice. Nikki had no doubt that Jameson Rook had been hers. Nikki shook her head. After all, she could hardly have expected Rook to take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience until he met her.

Natalie smiled at Rook and took a cup of coffee from his hand and sipped it. "Rookie! You remembered! Grande skim latte with two pumps of sugar free vanilla. You are such a sweetie!" She kissed him again.

Finally, Captain Montrose took charge. "Ms. Rhodes, you should meet Detective Heat, the detective you'll be playing."

"Oh, Captain, I won't be playing Detective Heat, I intend to do my own interpretation of Rookie's wonderful article. I mean he is Jameson Rook."

Captain Montrose led Natalie and Rook over to Nikki's desk. "Ms. Rhodes." Nikki said as politely as she could.

"Do you actually dress like that?" Natalie asked.

Nikki looked down at herself. She had on boots with four inch heels, skinny jeans, a blue knit top and a black leather jacket. "Of course."

Natalie looked….Well, pained.

"Is there something wrong with the way I dress?" Nikki asked coolly.

"Not if you're going undercover as a bag lady, I suppose. I plan to give Nikki Heat a more sexual vibe. Something with some spice in it."

Nikki ground her teeth. You can take the cheap hooker out of Hollywood, she thought, but you can't take the cheap hooker out of the girl." "I find it's much better to dress in something less revealing and easier to move around in if I have to chase someone."

Natalie laughed. "Maybe if you looked more like this, men wouldn't run away from you."

Ochoa spoke up before Nikki could reply. "Ms. Rhodes, we just had a body drop. Would you care to join our investigation?"

"I'm sure…" Nikki began.

"That would be a great start." Captain Montrose finished.

"Where is it?" Nikki asked.

"Finn Rourke's bar." Raley replied.

"Well, she may as well come. No one will say a word if it's the head of the Westies."

She grabbed Rook by the arm and led him to her Crown Vic. To her disgust, Natalie jumped onto Rook's lap as soon as he was in the passenger seat. She talked to Rook about all the fun they'd had at places that Nikki had only vaguely heard of, but had never visited. Natalie seemed incapable of keeping her hands off of Rook. Rook didn't seem to mind.

To Nikki's surprise, the head of the infamous Westies was a huge fan of Natalie Rhodes. While talking to the police would have been a cardinal sin normally with the Westies, helping Natalie Rhodes was different. Everyone in the bar happily told Natalie what had happened. The murderer was soon identified and a BOLO put out on him. Finn Rourke actually thanked Natalie for solving the crime. To further infuriate Nikki, Rourke had pushed her out of the way in his haste to get to Natalie, saying, "Excuse me, young man."

Outside, Natalie called over the limo that had followed her from the precinct and grabbed Rook's arm. "Rookie, I really need to take you back to my suite and do some serious research. I really need to get deep inside my muse. And vice versa, of course." She said throatily.

Nikki glared at Rook and then strode angrily to her cruiser and drove off as fast as she could, leaving Rook staring after her.

The next morning Rook brought her coffee. "Did you already provide for her?" She asked nastily.

Seeing Natalie coming, Rook said, "I need to see Roach." And left.

Natalie sat down next to Nikki. "Are you two an item or something?" She pointed to the retreating Rook's back.

"No." Nikki snapped.

"Well, last night he told me something I've never heard from a man before."

"What's that?" Nikki really wasn't interested.

"He said no." Natalie said, very much confused by this turn of events. "He wouldn't sleep with me."

Nikki smiled to herself.

"For some reason, he seems to be more into you than me."

Nikki got up. "Excuse me. I have to go over there."

She watched Natalie through the glass as Natalie did a very good impression of Nikki Heat. She felt Rook come up behind her. "Why didn't you sleep with her?"

"I don't love Natalie." He rested his hands lightly on her shoulders. She put one hand on top of one of his. "You know who I'm in love with, Kate."

"Please, Rook. Not now."

"You know I'm in love with you, Kate. I'm more in love with you than with anyone else in my life."

She turned around and looked at her partner, her friend, the man that she…"I can't, Castle. I can't."

"Sure you can. I know you love me, Kate, So does everyone else. So do you."

She shook her head vigorously.

"Then tell me you don't love me, Kate. Tell me." He said softly.

"Rick…I don't…I don't…I can't love you. I built a wall around my heart when my mom was murdered so I'd never get hurt like that again. If I let myself…If I let myself….If I do, you'll break my heart. I know you will. I won't live through that again. I can't."

"Then perhaps I should leave." He said quietly.

She began to cry. "No! Don't leave me Castle. That's not what I want."

"You have absolutely no idea what you want or how to get it, Heat." Natalie said from behind her.

She turned back to Castle, who was fading away before he tear filled eyes. "Castle! Rick! Come back, please."

But he was gone.

Kate Beckett sat straight up in bed, still crying and breathing rapidly. She heard Josh snoring lightly beside her. "It was only a dream. It didn't mean anything." She whispered to herself. I can't let myself fall in love with Castle. It will never work. I need to be with Josh, or someone like him. Someone who'll always be there for me. Someone I can depend on. I need to get back to sleep.

But, Kate spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling