234. Chapter 234

After Murder He Wrote, Yet Again

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I write about Castle, but don't own him. Rating: K Time: See above.

Author's note: There are spoilers for Raging Heat in this story. If you do not wish to be spoiled, rush right out and buy a copy of Raging Heat and read it. Don't worry, I'll wait right here until you're done.

"Oh, Rick?" Kate called in a sing song voice as she walked out of the house and headed for her husband, who was sitting facing the Atlantic Ocean, pretending to write.

"Yes?" Castle replied, having the feeling that he just might be in the slightest bit of trouble. "Is something wrong?"

Kate sat down on his lap and nibbled his ear. "Now why would you think that something would be wrong?"

"Um…I guess there's no problem, then?"

"Do you know who just called me?"

Rick thought. "I don't know."

"Gina."

"Gina?"

"Your publisher and ex-wife? Surely you remember her?"

"I do." He said firmly. He did indeed remember Gina. Perhaps not fondly, but he did remember her.

"She's wondering why she hasn't received the 150 pages of Untitled Nikki Heat you told her that you wrote."

Castle smiled. "That's easy. She hasn't gotten them, because I haven't sent them to her." He went back to playing Zombie Apocalypse on his laptop.

Kate put her hand over the screen. "And perhaps because you haven't written 150 pages of the book?" She said with faux sweetness.

"I did write 150 pages. I showed them to you." He said defensively.

Kate rolled her eyes. In spite of what it meant, he loved to see her do that. "You wrote seventeen first chapters of the book, all of which you hated and all of which you erased."

"True. But I did actually write 150 pages of the next Nikki Heat. I did not lie to Gina." He said, hoping he had made a convincing case.

She kissed the side of his face. "Writer's block, lover?" She whispered.

"No. I have the story idea all figured out. The whole plot for the murder, the twists and turns. Everything."

"And?" Kate asked seriously.

"It's the B plots I can't quite handle."

"The B plots?"

"You know. When Nikki has to work around Captain Irons, or when she has to figure out if she wants this task force job."

"I know what a B plot is, Castle. Why is this such a problem?"

"Some people have been giving me problems about the other characters." He said guiltily.

"You mean at Black Pawn?"

"No. At the precinct."

"Is Gates giving you problems? Since we got married, I thought she was…at least accepting us."

"It's Gates and others."

"Tell me. I'll handle it." Kate said, starting to get angry at her co-workers.

"No. I mean they have a sort of a point. For instance there's Ochoa, who is based on Esposito. In Raging Heat, I mentioned that Ochoa was Airborne when he was in the Army. Espo thinks that I should develop the character of Ochoa some more. You know, talk about his combat experiences, let him display his shooting ability. Maybe save Rook by killing a bad guy from a mile away."

"To begin with, no one could hit a target from a mile away."

Castle smiled. "A British sniper in Afghanistan made the longest recorder sniper kill in history at 2,707 yards, well over a mile. There are at least ten confirmed sniper kills of over a mile."

"You know a guy?" Kate asked.

"I do research." He continued before Kate could reply. "Then there's Raley, who's based on Ryan. Ryan's wondering why Raley has no sex life. After all, Kevin has a wife and a child. Ryan thinks it would add to the Nikki Heat mythology if they had someone with a family life in it."

"Mythology?" Kate asked. "Are you writing about the NYPD or Greek gods?"

"It's a term we writers use."

"Would it be so bad if Raley met a gorgeous blonde, got married and had a family?"

"Then there's Gates. She's not happy with Captain Irons."

"Irons was killed in Raging Heat, he was a man, and he was a pencil pusher from One PP. He was nothing at all like Gates. How can she complain?"

Castle shrugged. "Because she's known as "Iron" Gates and our doofus precinct captain was Captain Irons. Everyone knows Nikki is you, Rook is me, Roach are Ryan and Esposito, and she feels that everyone thinks she's Irons and some kind of incompetent screw up."

"No one thinks that." Kate said firmly.

"Apparently Captain Gates' mother-in-law firmly believes that is the message of the whole Nikki Heat series. And mentions it to the good captain quite frequently."

Kate swore softly under hear breath.

"Then there's Lanie. She feels that Dr. Lauren Parry, crack medical examiner, is under-utilized. And needs a boyfriend."

"Anyone we know?" Kate asked sarcastically.

"I may have a character in mind for her." Castle said, smiling. "Maybe Raley?" He said slyly.

"I suppose you could add a little bit to the background characters…" Kate began.

"Then there's Martha and Alexis." Castle interrupted.

"What do they want?" Kate thought for a second. "Wait! There's no character based on Alexis."

"Precisely. But Nikki does have a niece. Alexis thinks that the niece should be a super smart college girl who meets a handsome young man…"

"Who her parents totally approve of?" Kate broke in.

"Absolutely." Castle looked seriously at Kate. "Was there ever any question of that?"

"And Martha?"

"She feels Rook's mom, Margaret Rook, is too over the top and she should be seen to give her son good advice."

"Will there be room for Nikki and Rook in the next book?" Kate asked, jokingly.

"I may have to write something along the lines of War and Peace to get them in."

"If the book doesn't sell, we can always sell them as doorstops." Kate said, trying to sound serious.

"Then there's Nikki. And Rook."

"Nikki and Rook?" Kate was surprised. "What's wrong with them?"

"At the end of Raging Heat, I had Nikki turn down the job with the counter terrorism task force to become the 20th Precinct's new captain. As my wonderful muse, as the real life Nikki Heat, tell me, would you have made that decision?"

Kate shook her head. "No, because I don't have to. Nikki was stuck with an incompetent precinct captain in Irons and his replacement didn't sound any better. I don't have that problem. Gates my not be your favorite human being, but she's a highly competent leader."

"But if you were in Nikki's four inch heels?"

Kate smiled. "Well, I already know where to get a nameplate that says Captain Castle."

"One more thing. I ended the book with Rook down on his knees asking Nikki to marry him. Should she say yes?"

Kate's insecurity, which had been deeply buried for a while suddenly shot to the surface. "Of course. They love each other. Why wouldn't they…"She stopped and stared at Castle, wondering.

Castle caught on at once. "Hey. I love you. You're my wife and you'll be my wife and my partner forever and then some. But Nikki and Rook aren't really us. Is there any reason you can think of that they shouldn't get married right now? Might it not add to the drama to put a roadblock or two in their way? Not permanently, just to keep the tension up?"

Kate shook her head. "In that respect Nikki was never me. She was able to have an actual relationship with Rook and not run away and hide from him. Nikki never doubted that she could make Rook happy or that he would make her happy. They complete each other, just like we do. I want Nikki and Rook to have what we have, a one and done marriage. I do not want them to have to go through what we went through. I don't want to have to remember all of the mistakes I made with you when I read the book. I want them to live happily ever after."

"Always?" Rick asked, teasingly.

"Yes. Always."

"Just what I had in mind."

Kate looked off towards the ocean for a bit and then back to Rick. "So, in the next Nikki Heat book, Captain Heat will take over the 20th Precinct, but will find a warm and cuddly detective from Internal Affairs to be her assistant and do all of the paperwork, so Nikki and Rook can continue to solve crimes together. Then Rook is targeted by a crazed sniper who is shot by Ochoa, who rushes over from his date with Dr. Parry to shoot the sniper at a range of two miles. All the while, Nikki is helping Raley deliver his first child by his gorgeous blonde wife. Meanwhile, Margaret Rook gives her son good advice. In this case, "Get your head down, son." While Nikki's niece, Alexandra, quickly calculates the shooter's position using her math skills and calls Ochoa to give him the sniper's exact position. Is that about it?"

Castle shook his head. "Do you expect me to give you spoilers?"

"Do you think Nookie, that's Nikki and Rooks name for themselves, will have hot, wet, sloppy, passionate sex in the book?"

"Nookie?" Castle asked.

"Nookie." She confirmed.

"Spoiler alert." He said, kissing her passionately.