305. Chapter 305

After Famous Last Words

Episode 2.07

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer:" I do not own Castle" will not be my last words. Rating: K+ Time: See above.

Alexis leaned her head against her dad's shoulder and sang along with Sky Blue. Castle responded by putting his arm around her and pulling her close. God, but I hated this one. He thought. Murders are bad enough as they are, but the murder of someone Alexis was a fan of was worse and running into the people who were around Haley Blue was awful: Her sleazy ex-manager, her violent guitarist and her lecherous record producer and killer. Sure, I know that Alexis is smart and level headed, but she's at an age where being with the band is uber cool. I just can't imagine Alexis being mixed up with anyone like them. Dammit! I'm an author. Of course I can imagine Alexis with someone old enough to be her father who's handing out drugs like they're candy and I can imagine her with the lead guitarist of the Great Unwashed. I can imagine a bigger, stronger man forcing himself on her. It makes me sick, but I can imagine it.

A particularly paternal feeling overwhelmed Castle and he pulled Alexis just a bit closer to him. Kate Beckett had moved marginally closer to him and he felt her shoulder touching his. Without thinking, he put his arm around Beckett's shoulder. In a split second he realized what he had done. Oh crap! I'm dead. Beckett is probably going for her Glock right now. At the very least, I'll be sore in some very unpleasant places tomorrow. Should I try to move my arm? Pretend I was just stretching and happened to touch her shoulder? No, my arm's been there too long now. Could I pretend I was knocking something off of her? A spider maybe? She'd never buy that.

Then Castle noticed something. He was still alive. Nothing was being battered or crushed or removed. So far, so good. Maybe she doesn't notice? Are you kidding? She's a cop. She notices everything. So what does this mean? That I'll die somewhere quietly later tonight? I'm over reacting. She won't want to cause a scene in the middle of a memorial concert for the late Hayley Blue. She'll probably wait until tomorrow when we're at the precinct. I know! I won't go to the precinct tomorrow. Which means she'll wait until I show up and them she'll let me have it. She'll be very polite, but stern, authoritative, and very, very specific. She'll advise me in no uncertain terms that I am not allowed to touch Kate Beckett. Should I move my arm now, or should I wait until she moves. Wait! Will she go farther than chewing me out? Kick me to the curb? I can't let that happen. I need to stay with her to write more Nikki Heat. Okay, okay! I'm not being honest with myself. Self, why aren't we being honest with each other? Kate Beckett is important to me as a person, not just a source of information. I do not want to do lose this, whatever it is we have, half partnership, half friendship and half romance. No, what I'm I thinking? That's three halves. And a romance? Well, maybe. I'd like…I mean….I'm dead.

Castle tried to see how much of Beckett he was actually touching without moving any part of his body except his eyes. I'm touching her coat and her hair. That's for sure. Am I actually touching any part of her skin? Her neck? I can't see. He risked moving his head a fraction of an inch. Oh, crap! My arm moved. She had to notice that. What am I going to do?

Kate felt a sudden weight across her shoulders. What? Castle is putting his arm around me? What the hell does he think he's doing? Kate tensed ever so slightly. I'll put a stop to this right now. If Richard Castle thinks he can do this to me, he has another think coming. I'll…Kate stopped. I'll do what? Yell at Castle in front of his mother and daughter? And in the middle of a concert to honor a murder victim whose murder Castle and I solved? Shit! Who am I kidding? It was Castle who put together the song lyrics that Haley wrote and led us to Ian. I can just see the headlines tomorrow: Cop goes ballistic because writer touches her. Hayley Blue Memorial Concert disrupted. I'd be the laughing stock of the NYPD. What would I say? Castle touched me and I had to retaliate? That sounds just as absurd as it actually is.

Kate managed to crank her head around fractionally to look at Castle who seemed to be entranced with the concert. Castle and Alexis are singing along with Sky. He probably doesn't ever realize that he has his arm around me. After how upsetting to Alexis this case was, he naturally wants to comfort her. He's her father and a damned good father, I'll add. I know I've seen enough violent and abusive fathers to know the difference. At the worst, all he's trying to do is comfort me a little, as well. He knows my job, our job, is tough. It's not like he's trying to drag me on stage and ravish me. A sudden mental image of just that popped into Kate's head. Whoa! Where did that come from?

Kate relaxed slightly. There may be a lot of things I don't like about Castle, but he's a good partner and underneath all the ego and childishness, he's a good man. I should be able to cut him a little slack once in a while. He certainly does need to be taken down a peg or two quite often, but not every time he does something.

Kate moved a bit closer to Castle and rested her head on his shoulder.

Castle almost jumped. Beckett has put her head on my shoulder? How the hell did that happen? Castle started running scenarios through his mind. All the one's that involved Beckett killing him with some ninja-like blow from that position seemed improbable. Ideas involving Beckett, for some reason, wanting to rest her head on his shoulder seemed even more improbable. Finally Castle settled on the only thing that fully explained what was happening. I will never in a million years figure out Detective Kate Beckett.

Kate leaned against Castle a bit more and closed her eyes, listening to the next song in the set. See? I'm resting my head on Castle's shoulder at a concert. The world hasn't come to a crashing end. We're just behaving like two adults who are friends with each other. Okay! I've said it, even if it's just to myself. Castle is my friend.

The concert ended and Castle took his arm from around Kate's shoulder. "Sorry. I hope I didn't bother you, Beckett."

"Not at all. It's been a pretty emotional couple of days for all of us. A little human warmth is nice." Seeing his smile, she added. "A little human warmth, Castle."

He grinned at her. "A little it is. Tomorrow, Detective Beckett?"

"Tomorrow, Castle."