"All We'd Ever Need" -- Chapter 1
Title: All We'd Ever Need
Characters/Pairings: Castle/Beckett (eventually)
Word Count: 1,099
Spoiler alert: Season 3 -- this was written before season 4.
Summary: What happens to Richard Castle and Kate Beckett if she agrees to marry another man?
Author's Notes: This story takes place, let’s say around the beginning of season 4. Except in my world, Roy is still alive and Kate was never shot. Also - I’ve sort of seen this story before, so I apologize if it looks similar to anything you’ve read. But I actually got the idea from the Lady Antebellum song, “All We’d Ever Need.” This isn’t really a song-fic, but that’s where the inspiration came from. I hope you like it!
Thanks to callsign_buzz and sparkles_mouse for beta-reading! I really appreciate all your help.
Richard Castle was uncharacteristically quiet because his imagination was getting the best of him.
His partner’s boyfriend had shown up at the precinct a few minutes earlier and Castle had tried to ignore the jealous fluttering somewhere behind his ribcage when Josh and Kate had kissed happily.
Now, that fluttering feeling was replaced with confusion.
Kate had gathered everyone up in one of the interview rooms. Montgomery, Ryan, Esposito, and himself. She even called Lanie up from the morgue to “come and have a few beers,” as he’d overheard her say on the phone. None of this was out of the ordinary. What was out of the ordinary was that Josh was there. That, and usually when they were all meeting up for drinks in an interview room, they were celebrating the closing of a case. But they had closed their case early yesterday afternoon and today had been a fairly slow day, just tying up loose ends and finishing up paperwork. Or rather, Kate doing paperwork, and Castle being a pain in her ass. Which he knew she enjoyed.
His lips turned up slightly in a smile at the thought, but quickly disappeared when Josh came into his line of vision. Something was up, and Castle didn’t think he was going to like it. His writer’s imagination was running at full speed, but he was trying his very best to ignore it and the panic that was slip-sliding its way through his gut.
Finally, Kate looked at Josh one last time, before turning to all of her friends. She brought her hands up and clasped them in front of her, then dropped them to her side.
“So, everyone, I know we don’t usually do this sort of thing unless we’re celebrating a closed case, but I asked you here because there is something else to celebrate.”
She glanced back at Josh and smiled. He grinned at her. When she turned back around, her eyes met Castle’s and his stomach dropped.
She was nervous about telling them her news and it was because of him. He could see that plain as day, written across her face. He wasn’t going to like what she was about to say. He straightened, trying to prepare himself for it.
“Josh asked me to marry him.”
No, Castle definitely did not like that.
“And I said yes.”
He hated that.
Everyone paused for a moment, a little dumbfounded, and a few looks were thrown in Castle’s direction. But Castle didn’t hear or see any of it as their friends started congratulating Kate and Josh. All he heard was the roaring in his ears, like he had just been pulled under by a tidal wave. All he saw was Kate’s face, smiling joyfully and somewhat shyly at their friends.
Castle wanted nothing more than for the floor to open up and swallow him whole. He did not want to do this. He wasn’t sure he even could. His body seemed frozen, paralyzed with disbelief and disappointment.
The words “one and done” raced through his head, repeating on an endless loop. He wasn’t sure he had ever felt this much pain in his chest before, and he wondered briefly if he was having a heart attack.
But he knew it was simply his heart breaking.
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Kate hugged her friends and smiled at them, as Josh hovered closely behind her, taking pats on the back from the boys. She went through the motions, but she was distracted. She watched Castle from the corner of her eye, watched as the blood drained from his face and he went instantly pale. She almost went to him then, to make sure he was okay, because he really looked like he was about to pass out, like he needed to have someone remind him how to breathe.
He hadn’t moved from his spot and she tried to read him, to figure out what he was thinking, but he was simply pale, and more still than she had ever seen him. When she finally turned to face him and met his gaze again, it snapped him out of his stillness. He turned to the side, took a deep breath, and then turned back to her, a smile plastered on his face.
It wasn’t genuine, she could tell, but he was trying. For not the first time since she met him, she wished she could see inside his head, read his thoughts like she read his words on paper. He walked to her and stopped in front of her.
“Congratulations, Kate,” he said, but couldn’t quite meet her eyes. His voice sounded like he had just finished swallowing a handful of gravel. He cleared his throat, and then leaned forward to gently kiss her cheek. Then he turned to Josh. “Congratulations.” He forced another smile. “You’re a lucky man.”
“I know,” Josh said with a smile, and took Castle’s outstretched hand for a shake. “Thank you.”
Castle dipped his head in a short nod, then stepped a few feet away from them.
“Have a beer, Castle,” Kate said, motioning towards the bottles behind her on the table.
He reached for his jacket instead. “Thanks, but I have to get going. Alexis… Alexis asked if I would help her study tonight.”
“Oh, okay. See you tomorrow then?” she asked.
Castle nodded, unable to speak, and turned to make his escape, just as Lanie said, “Girl! Let me see the rock! I know this man got you a ring.”
The last sound he heard was Josh chuckling behind him as he bolted from the room.
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All he could think was keep moving, one foot in front of the other. He didn’t stop the mantra in his head until he was outside the precinct, standing on a city sidewalk. The chilly night air hit his lungs and he bent over, grasping his knees as he took in big gasping breaths, over and over.
Tears gripped his eyes and he squeezed them shut tightly to fight them off. He had lost her. Really, truly lost her, for good. She was a “one and done” type of girl and he would never get his chance. He had always thought his day would come, the day when he could show her what she really meant to him. But his time was up. There were no more chances. He was going to have to find a way to live with that.
He straightened and stood, blinking his eyes hard a few times, before he turned and started walking, off into the recesses of the city, with no destination in mind.
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Characters/Pairings: Castle/Beckett (eventually)
Word Count: 1,099
Spoiler alert: Season 3 -- this was written before season 4.
Summary: What happens to Richard Castle and Kate Beckett if she agrees to marry another man?
Author's Notes: This story takes place, let’s say around the beginning of season 4. Except in my world, Roy is still alive and Kate was never shot. Also - I’ve sort of seen this story before, so I apologize if it looks similar to anything you’ve read. But I actually got the idea from the Lady Antebellum song, “All We’d Ever Need.” This isn’t really a song-fic, but that’s where the inspiration came from. I hope you like it!
Thanks to callsign_buzz and sparkles_mouse for beta-reading! I really appreciate all your help.
Richard Castle was uncharacteristically quiet because his imagination was getting the best of him.
His partner’s boyfriend had shown up at the precinct a few minutes earlier and Castle had tried to ignore the jealous fluttering somewhere behind his ribcage when Josh and Kate had kissed happily.
Now, that fluttering feeling was replaced with confusion.
Kate had gathered everyone up in one of the interview rooms. Montgomery, Ryan, Esposito, and himself. She even called Lanie up from the morgue to “come and have a few beers,” as he’d overheard her say on the phone. None of this was out of the ordinary. What was out of the ordinary was that Josh was there. That, and usually when they were all meeting up for drinks in an interview room, they were celebrating the closing of a case. But they had closed their case early yesterday afternoon and today had been a fairly slow day, just tying up loose ends and finishing up paperwork. Or rather, Kate doing paperwork, and Castle being a pain in her ass. Which he knew she enjoyed.
His lips turned up slightly in a smile at the thought, but quickly disappeared when Josh came into his line of vision. Something was up, and Castle didn’t think he was going to like it. His writer’s imagination was running at full speed, but he was trying his very best to ignore it and the panic that was slip-sliding its way through his gut.
Finally, Kate looked at Josh one last time, before turning to all of her friends. She brought her hands up and clasped them in front of her, then dropped them to her side.
“So, everyone, I know we don’t usually do this sort of thing unless we’re celebrating a closed case, but I asked you here because there is something else to celebrate.”
She glanced back at Josh and smiled. He grinned at her. When she turned back around, her eyes met Castle’s and his stomach dropped.
She was nervous about telling them her news and it was because of him. He could see that plain as day, written across her face. He wasn’t going to like what she was about to say. He straightened, trying to prepare himself for it.
“Josh asked me to marry him.”
No, Castle definitely did not like that.
“And I said yes.”
He hated that.
Everyone paused for a moment, a little dumbfounded, and a few looks were thrown in Castle’s direction. But Castle didn’t hear or see any of it as their friends started congratulating Kate and Josh. All he heard was the roaring in his ears, like he had just been pulled under by a tidal wave. All he saw was Kate’s face, smiling joyfully and somewhat shyly at their friends.
Castle wanted nothing more than for the floor to open up and swallow him whole. He did not want to do this. He wasn’t sure he even could. His body seemed frozen, paralyzed with disbelief and disappointment.
The words “one and done” raced through his head, repeating on an endless loop. He wasn’t sure he had ever felt this much pain in his chest before, and he wondered briefly if he was having a heart attack.
But he knew it was simply his heart breaking.
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Kate hugged her friends and smiled at them, as Josh hovered closely behind her, taking pats on the back from the boys. She went through the motions, but she was distracted. She watched Castle from the corner of her eye, watched as the blood drained from his face and he went instantly pale. She almost went to him then, to make sure he was okay, because he really looked like he was about to pass out, like he needed to have someone remind him how to breathe.
He hadn’t moved from his spot and she tried to read him, to figure out what he was thinking, but he was simply pale, and more still than she had ever seen him. When she finally turned to face him and met his gaze again, it snapped him out of his stillness. He turned to the side, took a deep breath, and then turned back to her, a smile plastered on his face.
It wasn’t genuine, she could tell, but he was trying. For not the first time since she met him, she wished she could see inside his head, read his thoughts like she read his words on paper. He walked to her and stopped in front of her.
“Congratulations, Kate,” he said, but couldn’t quite meet her eyes. His voice sounded like he had just finished swallowing a handful of gravel. He cleared his throat, and then leaned forward to gently kiss her cheek. Then he turned to Josh. “Congratulations.” He forced another smile. “You’re a lucky man.”
“I know,” Josh said with a smile, and took Castle’s outstretched hand for a shake. “Thank you.”
Castle dipped his head in a short nod, then stepped a few feet away from them.
“Have a beer, Castle,” Kate said, motioning towards the bottles behind her on the table.
He reached for his jacket instead. “Thanks, but I have to get going. Alexis… Alexis asked if I would help her study tonight.”
“Oh, okay. See you tomorrow then?” she asked.
Castle nodded, unable to speak, and turned to make his escape, just as Lanie said, “Girl! Let me see the rock! I know this man got you a ring.”
The last sound he heard was Josh chuckling behind him as he bolted from the room.
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All he could think was keep moving, one foot in front of the other. He didn’t stop the mantra in his head until he was outside the precinct, standing on a city sidewalk. The chilly night air hit his lungs and he bent over, grasping his knees as he took in big gasping breaths, over and over.
Tears gripped his eyes and he squeezed them shut tightly to fight them off. He had lost her. Really, truly lost her, for good. She was a “one and done” type of girl and he would never get his chance. He had always thought his day would come, the day when he could show her what she really meant to him. But his time was up. There were no more chances. He was going to have to find a way to live with that.
He straightened and stood, blinking his eyes hard a few times, before he turned and started walking, off into the recesses of the city, with no destination in mind.
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