424. Chapter 424

After Law and Boarder

Episode 6.21

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: There's no law that says I can't own Castle, but I don't. Rating: K Time: See above.

Tall, gawky Rick Rodgers slowly dribbled the ball down the court. He could hear his teammates screaming at him.

"Just keep the ball, Rodgers! Hold it for another ten seconds and we win."

Rick, who was not the most athletic boy in school, was determined not to let his friends down and let Jimmy Hayes and his team win again. He kept the ball as close to his body as he could and kept one hand between him and the opponents. Then disaster struck. The ball bounced off his knee and straight into the hands of Jimmy Hayes.

Hayes smiled and took off down the court. Rick was the closest to him, but he couldn't stop Hayes as he made his shot and scored the winning points just as the gym teacher blew his whistle, signaling the end of the game.

"Thanks, loser." Hayes said as he ran past Rick. "I knew you'd screw up."

The other members of his team ignored Rick as he headed for the locker room. Rick cursed himself under his breath.

…..

Kate Beckett looked at the hardwood floor and the volleyball net. In spite of being one of the tallest girls at Stuyvesant High, she only played because the gym teacher insisted that everyone had to play.

"This is so lame." She muttered under her breath.

"Miss Beckett!" Ms. Clare, the teacher, yelled. "You serve."

Nancy van Allen rolled her eyes. "Could you at least try this time?"

"Sure." Kaye replied. You want me to try? Well, I'll just try as hard as I can. Kate threw the ball up and hit it as hard as she possibly could. The ball sailed over the opposite court and well out of bounds. "Did I try hard enough?" Kate asked sarcastically.

"That's all the time we have, ladies." Ms. Clare called. "Hit the showers."

Only Madison Queller was waiting for Kate when she came out. "I guess Rebel Becks doesn't do volleyball." She said.

Kate shrugged. "What am I going to learn from hitting a ball to a bunch of macho female jocks? They'll all get athletic scholarships in women's sports to some dumb college and have nothing when they're twenty five. I'll be a lawyer and have something."

"You never can tell, Becks."

Kate laughed. "Not me. I have my whole life planned out."

…

Mark Marshall looked at Rick and then down at his cards, then back at Rick. "No. I just don't believe you, Rodgers. You're bluffing."

"Only one way to find out, Marshall." Rick said with a confident smile. "It's two dollars to you."

Marshall nodded. "I'll see your two dollars and raise you another two dollars." He tossed four chips into the pot.

"Four dollars to you, Kenny." Rick said.

Kenny nodded and looked at his cards. He picked up four chips and held them in his hand. Then he put them back in front of him. He dropped his cards onto the table. "Fold. I had crap anyway."

"Four to me?" Alan Davies asked.

Rick nodded. Alan was a nice guy, but the worst poker player at school. Maybe the worst in all of New York. Rick knew he'd stay in the game even if he had nothing. That was the kind of player he was.

"Four it is." Alan said, tossing four chips into the pot.

"Now it's two to you, Rodgers." Marshall said.

Rick smiled. "Your two and…."He made a show of thinking about it. "And another five."

Marshall nodded, looked at his cards, then put ten chips in the pot. "I don't believe you. Call."

Alan finally figured out he had no business in the game and folded.

Rick put his cards down. "I've got the boat. Queens over tens."

"Damn it." Marshall tossed down his two pairs. "You're lucky tonight, Rodgers."

Rick smiled. I'm not lucky, I'm good.

….

Rick sat across from Detective Kate Beckett at her desk, looking at the pile of gummy bears in front of him. An equal number of gummy bears sat in front of Beckett.

Why can't we be like this all the time? He thought. Sure, we're competitive and we both want to do things our way, but we work so damned well together. Okay, my bad boy routine didn't impress her, but I've been doing a good job with her for months. Hell, I'm helping her. I've saved her life, and she's saved mine, of course. We're partners now, but we're not friends. I don't know if we ever will be anything more than partners. She is wounded. I got that right that first day there in the precinct. I just have no idea how to help her. And I do want to help her. She truly is remarkable. I wish…Castle smiled to himself. I wish for a lot of things, but I don't get them all.

Kate Beckett dealt the cards and looked at her hand. I don't understand him at all. He can be so childish, so immature and so self-centered. And he can be an absolutely brilliant detective. In the last half dozen or so cases we've worked, he's been a help, but he can't resist saying something sexist to me or making some wise ass remark. Why the hell did he let me win that hand at his place? Did he really think that poor little Kate Beckett just couldn't get through life without big, strong Rick Castle taking care of her? He can be so damned infuriating. And he can be so damned…No. I'm not going to think about that. Castle will be here until he's written his damned book and then he'll be gone and I'll never see him again. I have to remember that.

Castle won that hand. He checked his watch. "It's getting pretty late, Beckett. Should we call it a night?"

Kate smiled. "Oh, is it getting to be too much for you, Castle?"

Castle shook his head. "I'm fine. I can sleep in tomorrow until noon if I want to, but you have to get up and come to the precinct. So, I'm willing to call it a night if you are."

Kate checked her watch. He was right. It was late. "You're right. Some of us have to work for a living."

Castle stood up and stretched, then smiled at Kate. "Tomorrow, Detective."

"Tomorrow, Castle."

As he left, they both thought, If only…

…

Rick and Kate lay in each other's arms in a tangle of bedsheets. He was gently stroking her hair and she ran her hand over his chest.

"Did it really bother you that much to lose?" She asked. "At Scrabble?"

Castle thought about it for a second. "Not now. You made me realize what I've won: the best partner, the best friend, the best lover, the best fiancé and soon the best wife ever."

Kate smiled. "And who is this paragon? Do I know her?" She teased.

"I think you do. Her name is Kate Beckett. She's a detective with the NYPD. I've written some books based on her, but the real Kate Beckett is so much better than my fictional version."

"Oh! I've read those books. They're very good. I especially like the Jameson Rook character. He reminds me of someone I know."

"Oh? Who?"

"You, of course." Kate kissed him lightly. "To tell you the truth, for the longest time, I never thought we'd end up together."

Castle did his best to look shocked. "The Universe wouldn't have allowed us to not be together."

"Remind me to thank the universe, then."

"Oh, I thank the universe every single day."

"I guess we both got what we wanted."

Castle nodded. "We both won."