Richard Castle, Watcher (Castle/Buffy) (Complete)

[Starfox5]

... cannibal. Hung with a hangman's noose. Preys on criminals. We're dealing with a vigilante demon?

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That could be the case. For a certain definition of vigilante demon.

Or a vengeance demon. Criminals would attract a disproportionate amount of attention from them.

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No, despite the name, the 'Justice' demons don't seem to have anything to do with tracking down and punishing criminals - they're all about granting vengeance to the wronged in the form of wishes.

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Yes. Vengeance demons are more like genies.

... or at least, people who are very angry and believe they've been wronged.

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That too.

Nice interaction.

Beckett is definitely getting into the swing of things.

.... too soon?

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She's a very driven woman. Go-getter and all. But it might be too soon.

Anyway, typo:

'in case'

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Thanks, corrected.

 

[Pensive Rumination]

"There's a report about an demon preying on criminals in the 19th century. He left them hanging."

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"a"

 

[Starfox5]

"a"

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Thanks, corrected!

 

[Ack]

That could be the case. For a certain definition of vigilante demon.





Yes. Vengeance demons are more like genies.



That too.



She's a very driven woman. Go-getter and all. But it might be too soon.



Thanks, corrected.

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Maybe I should have said "she's getting the hang of it".

 

[Starfox5]

New York, August 2009

Beckett arrived right on time at Castle's that evening. Castle checked the mirror, then opened the door.

The detective entered, then remarked: "You know, not inviting anyone into your flat will take some time to get used to it. some people might consider you rude."

"I'm rich, so I'm not rude but eccentric," Castle grinned at her, then proceeded to help her out of her coat.

"I thought we'd chase down leads."

"We will. But Vi's a bit delayed," Castle explained. "Can I offer you a drink?"

"Water please. And what did she do? Break a nail playing with her swords?"

"Oh, snark! Well done! That's so going into the book!" Castle grinned, and went to fetch her a glass of water, as well as a beer for himself.

"You're actually writing a book about me? That's not just some cover?" Beckett sounded as if she was actually surprised.

"Of course not! Why would you think that?" He might have not told her that demons and magic were real, and that he had been hunting vampires for 20 years, but why would she assume he lied to her about his plans for his next book?

"Because so much else about you is a lie," Beckett answered in a flat tone.

Castle chuckled, though the accusation stung more than a bit. "I've been a paragon of openness. Even my fiction books are based on true stories."

"You play the eccentric author, but you're actually a veteran demon hunter. You play the fop and hide your skills and experience with the help of Vi… oh no. Please don't tell me you're imitating Bruce Wayne." The detective stared at him.

"I'm not wearing a bat costume at night. Unless you want me to in the bedroom!" Rick gave her another ruggedly handsome smile. "But I can assure you: I am neither as rich, nor as neurotic as Bruce Wayne. And, sadly, not as built either."

"He's a comic character, Castle," the detective said sighing.

"I know! That's an unfair advantage right there!"

"Can you be serious for once?"

"You started with the Batman meme," Castle grinned at her. "But… if you think I am not serious, then you'd be horrified by the Council's leadership, Well, apart from my ex-wife and Rupert. They are as stuffy as it gets."

"And yet Mary Wilkinson married you."

"That she did. I think that was due to my ruggedly handsome charm." And his persistence. And probably the lack of handsome british Watchers who didn't think she should be a housewife after marriage.

"And you ran out of that during the marriage?" Beckett sounded far too sceptical there for his taste.

"I regained my mojo once I was free of the tweedy clutches of that woman!" No need to mention Gina the money and soul stealing bitch.

"You're no Austin Powers either."

"I might not be an international man of mystery, but I write mysteries, and I am far better looking than he is."

"Can we focus on the case now?" The detective rolled her eyes at him. He'd mark that as admitting defeat.

"Of course." He pulled a few files up on his laptop and turned it towards her. "We found a few leads. Or leads to leads, to be precise. There was a local historian, Dr. Burton, who had been writing a story about the "Noose Murders", before his untimely demise. His estate was bought by a man named Andrej Miller, apparently a collector of old texts." Beckett was staring at him for a second, then started to read the files.

"Did this local historian actually die of old age?" She looked up from the laptop and met his eyes.

"His heart gave out during intercourse with a woman 60 years his junior." Castle sighed. Once, that would have been his favorite death. Beckett rolled her eyes again, but didn't comment further until she had finished reading the file. "Does Mister Miller expect us?"

"He didn't answer his phone all day."

"So we're going to see if he answers his door?" Beckett sounded incredulous. "That's not really… wait. You're planning to enter his home no matter if he's there or not."

"Ask me no question, hear no lie?"

"Castle!" She stood up from her seat and looked down at him. "You can't just break into a man's house!"

"Actually I could. But I won't," he stated as sincerely as he could.

"I am glad to hear you have some sense left!" She shook her head at him, muttering something under her breath he missed.

Just then the door opened, and Vi walked in, dressed all in black, from skin-tight top to leather pants and ankle boots. "Hi detective. Ready to join us on our little fact-finding mission?"

Beckett took one look at her, and turned back to Castle. "You lied! You're having her break in!"

"Technically, I didn't lie. And for the record: I am not saying Vi will break in either."

Before she could answer that, he continued. "Anyway… let's be on our way. It would be rude to arrive too late at the man's house."

"Not as rude as breaking into his home," Beckett retorted, but she followed him and Vi without trying to arrest either.

Castle smiled. They'd make a Scoobie out of her yet.

*****​

"He's not at home. And don't try to sneak off, Vi. We're not breaking into a house," Beckett stated, after ringing the doorbell for five minutes.

"We're not." Vi had stopped halfway to the corner of the wall.

"Don't try to mince words!" the detective hissed. "I'm not going to let you… what are you doing?"

Vi was sniffing the air, frowning.

Castle knew that face. "Demons?"

"I smell decaying flesh," His Slayer answered.

"Could be a zombie then." Castle nodded. "Enough of a reason to check it out. Legally," he added with a glance at Beckett.

"What?" she was gaping at him.

"If there could be a demon or zombie, we've got enough of a reason to enter the house and check it out. Like the Police, just for demons."

"The Police follow the law!" Beckett put her hands on her hips and clenched her jaws together.

"So are we. Our law's just a bit older. And our jurisdiction bigger." He smiled apologetically at her. Behind her, Vi added "Just think of us as the Feds for demons!"

"The Feds don't do such things."

"Well, they should!" Vi stated, then disappeared around the corner, leaving Castle alone with an angry, armed cop. Sometimes his Slayer really didn't know her priorities.

"Are you honestly claiming that just because Vi smelled some rotten meat, you can legally enter a stranger's house?"

"Yes?" Castle didn't see the problem there.

"This is crazy. I am not smelling anything."

"Well, neither am I, but Vi's got the nose of a bloodhound," Castle smiled and held up his hand. "Please, no bitch jokes."

"Not everyone is fond of teenage humor, Castle."

Before Castle could answer, the door opened. Vi stood there with a grim expression. "The owner's at home. Kind of - he's hanging from the ceiling."

*****​

"So, we got our second victim. Or first, since he died before the park guy," Detective Esposito shook his head. "How did you notice the corpse?"

"We were looking for the writings of a man who had been about to write a book about a string of murders like this, the 'Noose Murders', back in the 19th century. Mister Miller was the current owner of them. When he didn't answer the door, and Vi saw something hanging through the windows, we grew suspicious and entered." Castle wasn't about to go into more details. He was pretty certain this case wouldn't see a courtroom.

"Wow, that's creepy. A copycat killer, a 150 years after the original!" The detective shook his head.

"Well, maybe the ghost of the murderer returned. Or he woke up from suspended animation. Or it was an immortal demon, killing criminals who escaped the law." Castle lowered his voice.

Esposito sighed and exchanged a glance with his partner, Detective Ryan. "Yeah, sure, Castle. Did he have what you were looking for?"

Castle ignored the look. He had expected that - he had made the comment to get that reaction, after all. "Yes. That man has had a very big library, focused on the occult. Almost as big as mine. Detective Beckett is currently reading the notes we came for, together with Vi."

"Those two are working together?" Ryan sounded incredulous.

"Should we take cover?" Esposito added.

"They're not that bad. We drove here together," Castle frowned at the two men.

"Well, that was the truce of the road," Esposito said, nodding slowly. "You can't afford to distract Vi when she's driving, or you might cause a crash."

The way he said it… "She invited you for a quick drive, right? What was it, a doughnut run?" Castle asked, suppressing his smirk.

"Coffee," Esposito confirmed his guess.

Castle chuckled. He'd have to ask Vi if she had made any pictures. You never knew when you needed some material for blackmail.

*****​

"So… those were extensive notes. The author Dr. Burton had researched the murders very thoroughly. He even had a suspect identified, and found his grave," Beckett summed the notes up she and the Slayer had studied.

"He researched the man's grave?" Castle asked, with a sinking feeling in his stomach. That didn't sound good.

"Yes," Beckett answered, her puzzlement giving way to growing comprehension. "You expect he raised the dead?"

"Or set free a demon trapped in a corpse. We'll have to check the grave." He didn't like that - it took a lot of effort to make Vi dig, even though she was far stronger than he was.

"Great. Breaking and entering, and now grave robbing."

"All in a day's work!" Castle smiled brightly at the woman. "Though we're not robbing the grave. We're just checking if the owner is still there, or went walkabout." Although anything that looked dangerous or useful might go missing, of course.

"And if we go right now, we might catch a fledgling vampire at the cemetery!" Vi sounded eager. No surprise there. All Slayers usually were spoiling for a fight. Some just hid it better.

Castle nodded. "She's right. With a bit of luck, you can stake your first vampire tonight!"

"Hey! I thought of that first, so any vampires we find are mine! She can get her own vampire to stake!"

"Don't be greedy, Vi! We don't even know if there will be a vampire or not."

The two had reached his car when Castle noticed Beckett hadn't been following them, but was still standing where they had been talking, staring at them. "Aren't you coming?"

Beckett glared at him, as if he had said something wrong.

 

[macdjord]

more stronger

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'stronger' or 'more strong'.

 

[Prince Charon]

Poor Beckett.

 

[Starfox5]

'stronger' or 'more strong'.

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Thanks, corrected!

Poor Beckett.

Click to shrink...

She'll get over it. At least she hasn't met Buffy yet

 

[imhotep99301]

I hope Castle informs her what it means if Buffy rolls into town.

 

[Starfox5]

New York, August 2009

"Do you break into cemeteries often?"

"Hm?" Richard Castle looked up from the files on his phone and turned his head towards Detective Beckett, who was sitting on the back bench. "Not that often." He waited until she had nodded to continue. "We've got keys to all the major cemeteries, to make patrolling for new vampires easier."

He thought she muttered "why did I ask" under her breath, but he wasn't certain - Vi was driving, and the big engine's roar was not completely muted by the car's insulation.

"Anyway. We'll be checking for vampires on the way to the grave…." Castle glanced down "... of Elias Brighton."

"You mean I will be checking for them. Unless you want to play bait," Vi cut in while taking a turn so sharply, Castle thought the right side wheels lost contact with the road for a second.

"It's a team effort," he smirked. Turning more serious, he addressed Beckett again. "Since we don't know what we might encounter, I'll be taking the Ack Pack." Seeing her puzzled look, he added: "British flamethrower model from the Second World War. My favorite."

"The Doughnut of Death!"

"Thank you, Vi. Anyway, a crossbow would be traditional, but I'd suggest a shotgun with Dragon's Breath rounds for you. We're not in Britain, and it'll finish a fledgling vampire easily. And it won't kill a human hit by it. Burn them, yes, but not kill." Hopefully, that would make the detective less prone to hesitate - some people had trouble shooting human-looking bloodsuckers. Some Star Trek fans allegedly even had trouble shooting the vampires with their demon faces on, but he thought that was an urban legend. Or a prank from Xander.

Beckett nodded, looking a bit queasy.

Twenty minutes later, they were walking past grave after grave while Rick tried to make sense of the layout of the cemetery and Vi was trying to sense any undead in the area. So far, neither had had any success, but hopefully, Beckett wouldn't notice.

"We're lost, aren't we?"

Damn. "We're taking the scenic tour, so Vi can sense any undead trying to dig themselves out of their graves. It would be bad if we were jumped by a freshly-risen and very hungry vampire while digging a grave up."

"Ah."

Hiding a grin, Castle continued trying to find Brighton's grave. It took him ten minutes, but he managed it. Vi hadn't sensed any vampire though.

Beckett knelt down and felt the grass, fingers tracing the soil. Castle was about to ask what she was doing, when she suddenly held up a grass sod. "Someone's been covering up something."

"Oh, smooth!" Castle smiled while Vi frowned. The Slayer frowned even more when he nodded at the uncovered grave. "OK, your turn."

"Why me?"

"You're the Slayer, you're the one with superhuman strength, endurance…"

"Hotness!"

"... and the ability to procrastinate more than a college fraternity."

Turning to Beckett, he added: "Just like when we had to dig up the Hellmouth.", then had to dodge the first shovelful of earth thrown his way.

Fifteen minutes later, they stared at an open casket with a shrunken corpse in it, next to the cut up remains of a noose.

"Freshly cut, but a very old rope," Beckett declared, after climbing down and checking it.

"Sealing runes on the inside of the lid," Rick pointed at the sigils. "Inlaid with silver - this was a demon's prison."

"There's silver thread in the hemp rope too." The detective held up a piece of the ancient hemp rope.

Rick took several pictures with his phone. "I'll mail the details to London, but I think we can assume that to be defeated, the demon has to be hung with a rope with silver thread, then buried in such a casket."

"There's still a corpse here," Beckett pointed out.

"That's probably the man it possessed back then."

"Oh."

Judging by her expression, she too had realized that they'd have to hang a possessed man. "What about an exorcism?"

"Those seldom work well, but maybe London has a few ideas." Castle wasn't really expecting anything, and didn't try to hide that.

"Can't we leave it open?" Vi complained a minute later, shoveling earth on the casket. "I'll just have to dig it up again once we have the demon."

"Of course not! That would be unsafe. Even Slayers can fall into graves carelessly left open." Castle shook his head.

"I'm not a Californian, I'd be fine."

"Not once I tell Buffy you said that."

Vi coughed and shoveled harder.

"Buffy?" Beckett asked.

"The oldest Slayer."

"I'll tell Buffy you described her like that!"

"The most experienced and most skilled and most powerful Slayer," Rick hastily corrected himself.

"I'll tell Faith you said that!"

"Ah." Beckett looked like she had just realized something, but she didn't say anything else until the grave had been filled again.

"Who's the 'Vampire Hunter' styled after Buffy?" the detective finally asked after they were back in the car.

"Branda."

"Branda the Blonde, who was in love with the Loremaster double her age?" Beckett was gaping at him. "That's what you made out of the most experienced Slayer?"

Castle and Vi started laughing, but no matter how much she asked, neither would explain why.

*****​

"Miller had eaten human flesh as well? Sounds like a new trend. We'll have to watch out for hipsters taking a bite out of people." Castle whistled while putting Beckett's morning coffee on her desk and reading the file on her screen. He didn't see the reporter around - if she were present, she probably would be on the toilet already. Hopefully, she'd not return until this case was dealt with. It would be better for her stomach, at least.

"Yes. Lanie finished the autopsy this morning." Beckett grabbed her cup. "Thanks, by the way."

"You're welcome. Once is a freak, two though… that sounds like a cabal of cannibals. Who are hunted by a Hanging Demon. Which in turn is hunted by the Police. Do you think that'd be too contrived for Nikki Heat's introduction?"

"A cabal of cannibals?" Beckett sounded dubious. She also ignored his question.

"Yes. Are you familiar with the wendigo myth? The Native American tribes in this area believed that if you ate human flesh, you'd become a wendigo, a monster feeding on humans, never sated, always hungry. Kind of like every model, ever."

"You think those two dead people were trying to become such monsters?" Now she sounded more worried than dubious.

"In some versions of the myth, the wendigo corrupt others. That's how they breed." Castle explained.

"And the Hanging Demon hunts those people down?"

"It looks like it. But that leaves the question of who released it. Miller had the information, but as a cannibal himself, why would he have done that?" Castle rubbed his chin, thinking. He was missing something.

"He might have been tricked into eating human flesh," Beckett offered.

"That would fit some stories about the wendigo. Miller bought the files from Burton's estate months ago. Probably just for his collection. He met someone with the same interests in the occult. They talk, dine together… and he's hooked. Then, somehow, he realizes what was done to him, he looks for a way to counter it. Finds it and releases the demon, but ends up murdered by it." Castle nodded. It did sound right. It made a good story too.

Beckett smiled, looking both pleased and a bit feral. "So, now we need to find out who was tricking people into eating humans. IT should have cracked his computer soon and should give us access to his schedule."

"The wonders of technology. Who knew electronics would make hunting demons easier?" Castle sighed. "It makes converting some stories into Fantasy novels harder. Nikki Heat will change that, of course."

"Demons don't use computers?" Apparently, Beckett didn't want to talk about her future literary alter ego.

"Some do. There even was one demon trying to take over the internet. Or create a robot body. Or both."

"What?"

Castle took a look at her expression, and held up his hands. "Hey… I don't know the details, just some broad story… more like a few hints… really." Willow had been rather adamant about not wanting to talk about that incident. And Castle had been rather fond of his computer security. "But it was handled, trust me."

That didn't seem to reassure Beckett much. She really had to work on that lack of trust issue.

*****​

Castle looked at the condo complex, mentally comparing it to his own residence. The building was newer, but its location wasn't as nice as his own. And the apartments looked like they were a bit smaller.

"Trying to guess if you need to upgrade your own home?" Beckett asked while climbing out of the car.

"Don't give Vi ideas!" Castle admonished the detective when he saw the Slayer perking up. He coughed, then tried to change the subject. "So… this is where the Central park victim lived?"

"Yes. Ryan managed to identify him through a dry cleaning stub found in his pants. Alessandro Fernandez. Worked for a Wallstreet day trading firm, and got out before the bubble popped. Apparently a well-known collector of Native American art." Beckett summed the information on the victim up.

"Ah… Native American art. Such a dangerous hobby," Castle said, shaking his head. "He should have stuck to sky diving or alligator wrestling."

Beckett laughed, then stopped when neither Rick nor Vi joined her. Muttering something Castle didn't catch, she entered the building.

Uniformed cops - Castle told himself to simply call them 'uniforms' for the tenth or so time - had already opened the door to the dead man's apartment.

"Quite a bit bigger than ours, Rick!" Vi exclaimed, looking around. It was more like a penthouse, taking over the entire floor.

"Ours?" He glanced at her. "You've got an apartment of your own."

"Which you bought," Vi answered, looking around. "Hm. Think you could buy this penthouse, since the owner's dead?"

"I think we're fine where we are," Castle said, glaring at his Slayer. She wasn't impressed, of course.

"If you're done showing off your money, maybe we could start looking for a killer?" Beckett's tone brooked no argument.

"At once!" Castle stated and started for the closest suspicious - or interesting - looking piece of art or furniture. Vi would, or should, sense the demonically-tainted pieces anyway, so he could indulge his curiosity.

Rick was studying a shaman mask - or a good fake of one - when Beckett called out: "Castle!"

"Yes?" He walked over to where she was talking with a cop.

"They can't reach the housekeeper, a Mister Francis Lee," Beckett informed him.

"Oh? Judging by the dust I saw, he might have been missing for a while. Did you check the fridge?" The human flesh the two dead had eaten had to have come from someone...

"They didn't find any human parts in the kitchen or pantry." Beckett informed him.

"If he wasn't the meal, maybe he was the cook?"

Beckett tensed up - she knew what he was hinting at - and addressed the cop. "We'll check out Lee's apartment." Castle caught her glancing at Vi, who hadn't given any indication yet that she had felt anything demony. Demonic. He really had to do something about the Californisation of his language, before his editor noticed.

He nodded. "Yes, let's go before Vi gets bored."

*****​

"That's quite a surprising home for a housekeeper in Manhattan," Castle commented when they reached the address on file for Francis Lee. It was a shabby apartment house in the Bronx.

"He recently moved in." Beckett reported. "Three months ago, until then he was living in his room in Fernandez's apartment."

"That's quite a surprising move. Unless his employer was insufferable, there's no reason to move to… here. No good reason, at least. Are you sure you didn't sense anything in the apartment, Vi?" Castle looked at his Slayer as they got out of the Shelby.

"Only some lingering stench, it was strongest in the kitchen." Vi looked around, and Castle saw she was tensing up.

"Trouble?" He casually dropped a hand to his belt, near his holster.

"Just a feeling. Ugly." Vi stared at the house.

"Let's get the shotguns, just in case. Try silver ammo first, then cold iron, and if that doesn't work, we set it on fire and let Vi beat it up." The sun was setting, and the shadows growing longer and longer. Rick had a bad feeling about this as well.

"You know, before I met you, I didn't enter every second building loaded for bear," the detective commented while she grabbed a shotgun. Castle made a mental note to get her one of her own. Maybe with a customized grip and stock. It would be a good christmas or birthday gift.

"That should be 'loaded for demon', but I understand what you mean. You must have been terribly bored." Castle started for the entrance while Beckett gaped at him and Vi giggled.

Lee's apartment was on the second floor. The elevator was out of order - probably had been so since Reagan's election, given the amount of debris inside the cabin. A few more years, and archeologists would lay claim to the site.

Beckett knocked on the door. No one answered. "Mister Lee? Open up, NYPD!"

Vi snorted.

"Something funny, Vi?" Beckett asked.

"Just heard two deadbolts get slammed shut above us. I guess the other residents don't like the..." Vi suddenly snarled, her nostrils flaring. "It's in there!"

The Slayer kicked the door open, ripping the lock out of the wall in the process, and the stench of rotten meat and decay hit Castle's nose. "Should have thought to bring a mask," he muttered, following Vi into the apartment.

Or what was left of the apartment. Broken and smashed furniture littered the floor, deep gashes had been scratched or cut - or slashed - into the walls, and patches of dried blood were visible under hooks dangling from the ceiling. "Dear Lord, we're standing in a monster's butcher shop!" Castle exclaimed.

"You're standing in my apartment."

Someone wearing a blood-stained apron and what looked like a shaman mask stepped out of the kitchen. He looked unarmed and human, and Beckett reacted predictably. "Mister Lee? Detective Beckett, NYPD. We have a few questions about your employer." She kept her gun ready though.

Whatever Lee had been about to say remained unsaid since Vi charged him right then, kicking him in the face. The force of her blow spun the man around and ripped the mask from his face. He didn't fall down though.

"Vi!" Beckett shouted. "What are you…"

Castle was already shooting. Anything that didn't go down after such a kick from Vi wasn't human. His round hit the man in the chest, staggering him. Instead of dying, or at least screaming and falling down, Lee just smiled, showing yellowed teeth. And his smile kept growing wider and wider, until it literally split his face and revealed the hideous head of a monster covered in shaggy fur.

Vi kicked it again, throwing it against the next wall, and Castle heard bones breaking. They kept breaking, and he realized that the whole body of the thing was changing, growing, rearranging itself.

He shot it again, as did Beckett, but the thing kept changing, ripping out of its human skin and clothes until a shaggy, stooped monster was facing them, drool dripping from razor-sharp yellow teeth and half a foot long claws sliding out of its fingers.

Rick was reloading his shotgun with the cold iron slugs while Vi attacked it with her sword. The wendigo was tough and strong - one of its blows went through the wall as if it was cardboard - but it wasn't quick enough to hit the nimble redhead, and the low ceiling hampered its movements as well.

On the other hand, Vi didn't seem to be able to hurt it much either. The cuts she left on the body were not bleeding much and seemed to be healing already, and it covered its neck and head from Vi's strikes.

"Clear!" Castle shouted, and Vi somersaulted back, her head narrowingly dodging the monster's claws and her feet almost striking the ceiling. Before the Slayer touched the ground again, two shotguns roared and the monster was hit with cold iron and fire. The slug didn't seem to do much, but the Dragon's Breath set its stinking fur on fire, and the wendigo howled in rage and pain.

Vi used the opening provided by the creature's attempts to beat the flames on its body out. The Slayer charged it again with her sword. At the last second, the monster reacted, and lashed out. The redhead was ready though, and ducked under the burning claws, then jumped up, her blade slicing deep into its throat.

Choking and gripping its bleeding neck, the monster staggered back against the battered wall. The Slayer landed on its flank, and lashed out again, cutting the tendons in its left leg. Making a horrible gurgling noise, the wendigo finally fell on the floor, setting trash on fire and splattering blood on the wood.

Vi grinned ferally and went in for the kill, dodging the the flailing arms and striking at its neck as if she was a lumberjack working on a log until the monster's head rolled over the floor.

Breathing hard, Castle stared at it. "Damn."

The two women looked puzzled at his reaction, and so he explained. "It would have been real handy if the wendigo had either changed back to a human form, or turned to ashes."

Beckett groaned. "You're right. I can't report this. And we were heard by the other tenants."

"If in doubt, set fire to the place?" Castle proposed, then winced at the glare he got. Beckett needed to work on her unhealthy aversion against arson too.

*****​

"I can't believe I falsified a report," Beckett commented the next evening, sharing a drink in Castle's apartment with him and Vi.

"You didn't. You just omitted a few details. The report clearly stated that the apartment was set afire, that shots were fired on a shaggy creature, and that we had to retreat from the apartment due to the flames. All that happened." Castle refilled his glass.

"Yes. But the exact order of those events was different."

"Details, details. Perlmutter will identify one of the wendigo's victims in the flat as Lee, and explain the shaggy thing as a dog." Castle grinned.

"No one who looks at the data will believe that." Beckett held out her glass, and he refilled it as well.

"No one will look at it. And if anyone digs around, it'll get buried by our contacts higher up the totem pole." He almost reached over to pat her reassuringly on the knee, but he needed his hand for work. And other things. Beckett still didn't seem to believe him, but she'd come around in time. "Anyway, we still have a Noose Demon on the loose. Did you find any suspects that could have served as his vessel?"

"Miller withdrew five thousand dollar from his bank account the day before he died. He probably hired someone to help him dig up Brighton's corpse with that, but we don't know who." Beckett sighed and held a hand up. "Let me guess: It's likely that Miller's hired help ended up possessed by the demon he helped dig up."

"Probably. Those possessions usually go for what is closest."

"So we have a murderous demon vigilante in New York, and we don't know how he looks or what name he might be using, just that he is likely to be using a noose to kill criminals." Beckett finished her drink in one go and held her glass out to him to refill it again.

"Exactly! That's quite a bit more than we usually know about the demons we hunt," Castle told her cheerfully.

Vi, refilling her own glass, nodded emphatically.

"So, here's to another successful case closed!" Castle raised his glass in a toast.

Beckett stared at him, then at Vi, then at her glass. Muttering something about 'contagious craziness', she chugged her drink, then held it out for another refill. All things considered, she was taking this really well.

 

[Starfox5]

I hope Castle informs her what it means if Buffy rolls into town.

Click to shrink...

Oh, he will have to break that to her gently. Unless Buffy's just coming to shop. But even then, she tends to attract trouble.

 

[Slayer Anderson]

Oh, he will have to break that to her gently. Unless Buffy's just coming to shop. But even then, she tends to attract trouble.

Click to shrink...

I'll be interested to see if Castle/Vi/Alexis have an "In Case of Buffy" box.

It's probably equal parts coupons and store references as well as the really heavy weapons.

The "In Case of Xander" box, by the way, has twinkies in it.

 

[Topher876]

"So we have a murderous demon vigilante in New York, and we don't know how he looks or what name he might be using, just that he is likely to be using a noose to kill criminals."

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Ooh! That sounds like a season finale to me!

 

[Starfox5]

I added a bit more snark to Castle in the last chapter.

I'll be interested to see if Castle/Vi/Alexis have an "In Case of Buffy" box.

It's probably equal parts coupons and store references as well as the really heavy weapons.

The "In Case of Xander" box, by the way, has twinkies in it.

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And doughnuts!

Ooh! That sounds like a season finale to me!

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Maybe. Depends on how memorable the demon turns out to be.

 

[Pensive Rumination]

Or what was left of the apartment. Broken and smashed furniture littered the floor, deep gashes had been scratched or cut - or slashed - into the walls, and patches of dried blood were visible under hooks dangling from the ceiling. "Dear Lord, we're standing in a monster's butcher shop!"

Click to shrink...

You never really establish who's speaking here. I assume Castle due to the "Dear Lord" but it's a bit jarring nonetheless.

Vi used the opening [created by?] the creature's attempts to beat the flames on its body out and charged it again.

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Think you missed a word. With it however, the sentence becomes a little wordy. Maybe you could shorten it out to something like "Vi used the opening created by the creature's (panicked?) flailing and charged it again."?

Choking and gripping its bleeding neck, the monster staggered back against the battered wall. The Slayer landed on its flank, and lashed out again, cutting the tendons in its left leg. Making a horrible gurgling noise, the wendigo finally fell on the floor, setting trash on fire and splattering blood on the wood.

Click to shrink...

Missing fullstop after 'wall'.

You've got to wonder how many cops and detectives are killed each year by investigating cases involving demons and finding a lot more than they expected.

 

[Starfox5]

You never really establish who's speaking here. I assume Castle due to the "Dear Lord" but it's a bit jarring nonetheless.

Think you missed a word. With it however, the sentence becomes a little wordy. Maybe you could shorten it out to something like "Vi used the opening created by the creature's (panicked?) flailing and charged it again."?

Missing fullstop after 'wall'.

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Thanks! I corrected those.

You've got to wonder how many cops and detectives are killed each year by investigating cases involving demons and finding a lot more than they expected.

Click to shrink...

Most demons will avoid cops, and simply go into hiding. The more violent though will draw a Slayer.

 

[rtds9fan]

Love this story. Just found and read all of it at once. If Kate is jealous over Vi God help her if Faith ever rolls into town.

 

[Ack]

So enjoying this.

 

[Chase92]

Just wondering why you don't crosspost this story over on SB.

 

[Walkir]

I'm a total Castle noob to use the term from a few pages ago and know Buffy only from Xanderquest (so: not really), but I have to say this is a damn good read. I never really felt like I missed some injoke or something as well. Either they were so well hidden I didn't notice or it was done very well.

 

[Starfox5]

Love this story. Just found and read all of it at once. If Kate is jealous over Vi God help her if Faith ever rolls into town.

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Thanks! Faith isn't Castle's Slayer, and wouldn't be jealous, or feel threatened. On the other hand, she'd probably like to troll Kate for the laughs.

So enjoying this.

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Thanks!

Just wondering why you don't crosspost this story over on SB.

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I'm posting the story here, on FFNet (compiled into longer chapters) and on Twisting the Hellmouth. That means I have to change three posts/files each time I catch a typo. And after I caught a really bad shitstorm for my first story posted there, and had a "you're close to crossing the line" warning for posting "and the two snogged" in my second story, I don't feel it's worth it. Compared to the feedback here, on TTH and on FFNet, SB didn't really offer much in the way of constructive, civilized criticism.

I'm a total Castle noob to use the term from a few pages ago and know Buffy only from Xanderquest (so: not really), but I have to say this is a damn good read. I never really felt like I missed some injoke or something as well. Either they were so well hidden I didn't notice or it was done very well.

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I am flattered to hear that.

 

[HoboKnife]

This story is so good that I recommended it to other people IRL. That's rare for me.

 

[Ack]

And after I caught a really bad shitstorm for my first story posted there, and had a "you're close to crossing the line" warning for posting "and the two snogged" in my second story, I don't feel it's worth it. Compared to the feedback here, on TTH and on FFNet, SB didn't really offer much in the way of constructive, civilized criticism.

Click to shrink...

I find that SB has actually eased off in recent times. Despite the fact that people apparently complained to the mods regarding supposedly-skeevy aspects of my last Wyvern chapter (ie, Taylor being made to undress, etc) they actually passed it on both sites, because it was within the rules.

SB has actually loosened its rules and has at least one very reasonable mod (Felid) on board; so long as your characters are 15 or above and there are no actual explicit scenes, or any sort of sexualised description of under-15s, then a story is generally okay. Of course, sometimes I will put up a potentially problematic scene to be looked at by the mods anyway.

As it was, the only reason my one-shot "Don't Worry Be Happy" didn't make the cut on SB was because of the mindrape implications, not because of the teenagers in a relationship.

 

[Starfox5]

The mods are good there. I didn't get a shitstorm from the mods for my first story - I got it from posters who "strongly disagreed" with my characterisations. It took about four mod visits - not counting the guy who told me "SB is not a hugbox", stop complaining about people who insult you - to make them stop trying to get me to write the story they wanted, instead of the one I wanted. (I wanted to write "Inglorious Wizerds", they wanted me to write "Gone with the Wand". When someone starts posting that it was a good thing that not every nazi mass murderer was tried and sentenced after WW2 just so he can still claim that executing mass murderers is the same as mass murder itself, things have gone beyond the pale.)

And the 'harsh but constructive criticism' SB prides itself so much for?

"Make the nazis have a point too! That guy who defended the rape law should have scored some points in the discussion".

"Just taking the fact that someone spent his teenage years as a child soldier, hunted by nazis, saw all of his family die and a shitload of his friends die, was tortured over months, abused, and had to kill as a kid is not enough to assume that contrary to canon, he could hold a grudge and think killing evil is better than letting them try their hand at genocide again. Even though, in canon, he went 2 out of 3 when it came to casting the unforgivable curses."

"Show, not tell! You can't write 'and he rose through the ranks of the bureaucracy to his current post' when describing a character's past, you have to show us how! In detail!"

There were a few useful tips, but all in all, the crowd of HP fans there gets very hostile if you don't accept their wishes and views. I even wrote a prologue chapter to show more of how the characters came to the conclusion that peaceful means didn't work, but that wasn't enough either for the mob since it still didn't turn pureblood nazis into likeable charaters who were just misunderstood. A lot of them also do not seem to understand that criticism done rude is useless and counter productive,and that if an author is not changing his or her story to suit their tastes, it's not a free pass for flaming and bullying.

So, the almost warning for a kissing scene in my second story was more like the last straw after I was already rather soured of the community there. I don't want to write with a censor in my head, or even focusing on the line of what's appropriate for SB, instead of the line of what's simply appropriate, I don't think posting stories on SB is worth the added hassle of handling another site for updates and corrections, much less the 'feedback' from rude people.

 

[Starfox5]

This story is so good that I recommended it to other people IRL. That's rare for me.

Click to shrink...

Thanks a lot!

 

[Ack]

The mods are good there. I didn't get a shitstorm from the mods for my first story - I got it from posters who "strongly disagreed" with my characterisations. It took about four mod visits - not counting the guy who told me "SB is not a hugbox", stop complaining about people who insult you - to make them stop trying to get me to write the story they wanted, instead of the one I wanted. (I wanted to write "Inglorious Wizerds", they wanted me to write "Gone with the Wand". When someone starts posting that it was a good thing that not every nazi mass murderer was tried and sentenced after WW2 just so he can still claim that executing mass murderers is the same as mass murder itself, things have gone beyond the pale.)

And the 'harsh but constructive criticism' SB prides itself so much for?

"Make the nazis have a point too! That guy who defended the rape law should have scored some points in the discussion".

"Just taking the fact that someone spent his teenage years as a child soldier, hunted by nazis, saw all of his family die and a shitload of his friends die, was tortured over months, abused, and had to kill as a kid is not enough to assume that contrary to canon, he could hold a grudge and think killing evil is better than letting them try their hand at genocide again. Even though, in canon, he went 2 out of 3 when it came to casting the unforgivable curses."

"Show, not tell! You can't write 'and he rose through the ranks of the bureaucracy to his current post' when describing a character's past, you have to show us how! In detail!"

There were a few useful tips, but all in all, the crowd of HP fans there gets very hostile if you don't accept their wishes and views. I even wrote a prologue chapter to show more of how the characters came to the conclusion that peaceful means didn't work, but that wasn't enough either for the mob since it still didn't turn pureblood nazis into likeable charaters who were just misunderstood. A lot of them also do not seem to understand that criticism done rude is useless and counter productive,and that if an author is not changing his or her story to suit their tastes, it's not a free pass for flaming and bullying.

So, the almost warning for a kissing scene in my second story was more like the last straw after I was already rather soured of the community there. I don't want to write with a censor in my head, or even focusing on the line of what's appropriate for SB, instead of the line of what's simply appropriate, I don't think posting stories on SB is worth the added hassle of handling another site for updates and corrections, much less the 'feedback' from rude people.

Click to shrink...

I would suggest adapting the wording I use at the beginning of all my fics. Including the bits about 'I expect suggestions on how to fix it' and 'I don't promise to follow any suggestions'.

 

[Starfox5]

Still wouldn't be worth it - as I said, the feedback wasn't really helpful, and the time spent arguing was wasted.

 

[Starfox5]

New York, September 2009

"Really? The stomach flu, for two weeks?"

RIchard Castle, bestselling fantasy author, raised his eyebrows at Violet 'Vi' O'Malley.

"That's what she just told the captain." Vi, who had shamelessly abused her Slayer hearing to eavesdrop, sounded amused, not quite looking at Captain Montgomery's office. Jane Varshney, Reporter not so extraordinaire, had returned to the 12th Precinct.

"Wow… makes one wonder if she's as truthful when she's writing," Rick commented, shaking his head.

"She a glorified and overpaid gossip columnist, Castle. You don't honestly expect her to win a Pulitzer Prize anytime soon, do you?" Detective Kate Beckett rolled her eyes at the two of them. "And is there a reason you have to be sitting on my desk?"

Vi, who was letting her legs dangle, nodded. "Rick took the chair."

"It's my chair. I saw it first." Rick wasn't about to let himself get evicted. Though he might get away with purchasing a chair of his own, if that was what it took.

"It's my desk. And you're occupying quite a bit of it with your rear." Beckett glared at Vi.

"Are you calling me fat?" Vi narrowed her eyes.

"No, I am trying to get you to stop occupying my desk and keeping me from my work."

"Rick doesn't have any trouble working when I am with him," Vi declared. The Slayer leaned backwards, arching her back and pushing her chest out while her leather jacket slid down her shoulders. "Am I distracting you?" she whispered while licking her lips. Rick made a mental note to talk to Faith about not being a bad influence on impressionable younger Slayers. Then he scratched the note - that would only encourage her. And Vi. He barely noted how Esposito was so distracted by the sight that he kept pouring coffee into his mug until it overflowed and scalded his hand.

"No, you're simply annoying me. And you're giving Castle ideas about his hypothetical book involving a certain detective with a stripper name and some redheaded hunter." Beckett deadpanned.

Castle blinked. He had planned to have a ruggedly handsome journalist with a slight resemblance to himself romance Nikki Heat, but this… everyone knew love triangles attracted readers. Especially if it involved two hot women. His editor would love it.

"See? His mind just got lost in the gutter. Earth to Castle, the real world just called. The world where you're currently fantasizing about an armed detective and a 'trained bodyguard'." Beckett waved her hand in front of him.

On the other hand, Castle loved to be alive. And whole. And he didn't want to insinuate that kind of interest in Vi. He coughed. "You're wrong. Besides, Nikki Heat strikes me as the more straight-laced kind of woman."

"Oh, you might be mistaken about her past. But Nikki Heat wouldn't go and rob the cradle. She would like a more mature partner." Beckett smiled sweetly at Vi.

Castle just kept from reflexively blurting out that he was mature.

Vi had less self-control, and growled: "I'm no teenager anymore."

"Oh? Could have fooled me." Beckett said so innocently, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

The two women locked eyes with each other. They were so close now, Vi would have just to lean to the side a bit, or Beckett lean a bit forward…

"That's so going into the book!" Castle said. His editor wouldn't be happy, but it wouldn't be the first time he had made changes at this stage.

He was saved from their ire by the Captain announcing that they had a case. Jane, standing next to Montgomery, was looking like she was about to have a relapse.

*****​

"I have to point out though that there's nothing hypothetical about my book. My editor has seen the first draft already," Castle commented on the way to the crime scene.

"Hopefully he'll change the name of the main character."

"She," Castle corrected the detective. "And she liked 'Nikki Heat'. All the possible titles from the name alone...."

"What about Vivian, the real main character?" Vi wanted to know.

"She liked that character too, but thought it was a bit too close to another character I had already used."

"Well, duh!" Vi smiled.

"Oh?" Jane asked, leaning forward.

"Vi also served as the inspiration for 'Victoria' in 'Facing the Old One'," Rick explained.

"Oh!" Jane seemed to read a lot into that, judging from the amount of notes she was making. Castle reminded himself that he would get to read the article before it was published. Would have to read it. Damn, he'd have to act as an editor too, if the woman's questions were any indication of her writing skills.

They reached the crime scene - the Upper New York Bay. "We got a floater?" Castle asked, perking up.

"A man checking on his boat found the corpse. Tied to an anchor, floating right beneath the waves next to his boat's hull."

"An anchor…" Rick didn't recall any demon using anchors. Not the kind found on ships, at least.

"We're not going to dive, are we?" Vi asked.

"Don't worry about ruining your hair, the police has that in hand." Beckett commented from the back bench. One of those days, she'd accept his place in front. And she and Vi would be the best friends. And the World would be at Peace.

Vi parked between a patrol car and the van from the morgue, and everyone got out. Jane, who had grown steadily more quiet the closer they got to their destination, was taking deep breaths already. Rick spotted Ryan standing nearby, and quickly walked over to the detective. "Put me down for '5 minutes after she sees the corpse', and with 20."

"Got you."

When he caught up with the rest of the group, Vi was smirking at him, and Beckett was glaring. He mouthed 'You told her?' to his Slayer, but she shook her head. He hadn't thought he was that obvious. Or Beckett that perceptive. Then again, she had found out about his secret. Sort of.

"What do you have for us?" Beckett asked Lanie as soon as she saw her.

"Us." Castle glanced at Beckett, smiling despite the glare he got in return.

The medical examiner pulled the blanket back from the corpse. "White male, about 30 years old, found tied to a small anchor with a chain."

Castle whistled at the corpse's chest. "That's a lot of bullet holes."

Lanie nodded. "Yes. But he might not have died from those wounds."

"Water in the lungs?" Beckett crouched down to study the bullet holes. "The bullets must have perforated both lungs though. Small caliber. Less than 9 mm even."

"Yes. I'll have to conduct an autopsy to find the exact cause of death."

"Do we have an ID yet?"

"He had his wallet on him." Lanie held up a clear plastic bag with a slightly damaged ID in it.

"It wasn't a robbery gone wrong then," Castle stated.

"Alexei Ivanovich Berezin. Russian national." Beckett stated, frowning.

"You can read Cyrillic?" Castle asked, surprised.

"I can speak Russian. I spent a semester in Kiev as a student," the detective answered without taking her eyes off the document.

"Nikki Heat has even more hidden depths than I thought!" He'd have to find a way to get that in his next book.

"Time!" Vi suddenly said. Castle turned to her, and she pointed to the side, where Jane was bent over a plastic bag.

"Two minutes and 20 seconds," Ryan said, handing over several bills to Beckett.

Castle stared at her. And she had been frowning at him for betting? He huffed.

"I told you I might not be as straight-laced as you assume," Beckett said with smirk as she pocketed her winnings.

"Cops gambling… my faith in the police's integrity just was shattered!" Castle sighed theatrically.

"Don't be mad you lost, Castle. Just get used to it."

"Never!"

*****​

"Shot, drowned, and poisoned too? Who was this guy, the second coming of Rasputin?" Castle exclaimed after reading Lanie's report back at the Precinct.

"That's a good question, Castle. There are no records of this man entering the country legally. But judging by the parking tickets and receipts we found in his wallet, he has been in New York for months."

"Oh… illegal immigration, and… polluting the environment? Does bleeding into the water after getting poisoned count?" Rick wondered.

"He's dead, Castle. He won't get prosecuted for anything."

"Given how much it took to kill him, I'd not rule out resurrection."

Beckett laughed, then stopped. "So that's why Vi is watching Lanie working."

Castle nodded.

"Do you think it could be a vampire?" Beckett asked in a lower voice, after checking for eavesdroppers.

"I don't think so. This would be the first case of a rising after a burial at sea. Sort of." Rupert would be ecstatic about such a novel case. "I'd suspect an exotic demon at work. Unless it was just adrenaline and luck."

"Can't Vi smell demons?"

"She can. But it's not 100% foolproof." Emphasis on 'fool', Castle thought.

"Did she ever have false positives?"

"Not so far," Castle answered. Unless that unfortunate misunderstanding with the man who had just had messy sex with a succubus before encountering Vi counted. But he survived, and probably learned to pick his lovers more carefully, and shower more often. "But false negatives could happen without anyone realizing it."

"We've got the vic's address. We matched the key we found to an apartment building in Soho." Esposito interrupted their discussion, handing Beckett a note with an address.

Castle peeked at it. "Oh? Gentrification involves illegal immigrants these days?" With a glance to the two detectives, he added: "I got the sales brochure for that building's condos last year. It's not exactly something you can pay while working in a sweatshop."

"Contrary to popular belief, Castle, illegal immigrants are not all slaving away in sweatshops."

"Well, he didn't look like a stripper to me either."

 

[alethiophile]

"Contrary to popular belief, Castle, illegal immigrants are not all slaving away in sweatshops."

"Well, he didn't look like a stripper to me either."

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*snrrk*

This is interesting to me, because I'm only familiar with either Castle or Buffy from other fanfiction, but I still enjoy this quite a bit. Nice work.

Can't comment on canon-compliance, but I love Castle's character voice. This is sort of making me want to hunt down and watch the show.

 

[Ack]

*snrrk*

This is interesting to me, because I'm only familiar with either Castle or Buffy from other fanfiction, but I still enjoy this quite a bit. Nice work.

Can't comment on canon-compliance, but I love Castle's character voice. This is sort of making me want to hunt down and watch the show.

Click to shrink...

You will enjoy it. Castle's even snarkier on the show. There's a distinct lack of the supernatural, sure, but it's like Scooby Doo; once in a while, an odd one will pop, and Castle will leap on the weird angle, and Beckett will be going "No," even as Castle is cheerfully positing his latest crackpot theory.

And there's one or two where he might not even be wrong ...

Incidentally, Castle is canonically a good fencer.