Fan-Fiction Database
Product's FanFiction

Characters/Original Story Line owned by ABC
Story by [Product of a Primal Urge]

Chapters

1. A Picture and a Bullet
2. Rough on Relations
3. Settling Soul and Relapses
4. Looking Glass Partner
5. Fine Print
6. Sinking Kisses
7. Killer Collage
8. Of Conferencing Hearts
9. Morning After
10. End Game

6:45 A.M. Sunday: Case 23 days cold-

Detective Kevin Ryan blinked a few times, lying snug under Javier's arm. Something had woken him before the seven o'clock alarm and he was struggling to realize what it was. The bedroom door. He had the feeling he'd heard the thing open, which made no sense as he and Javier were the only ones here.

Panic surged adrenaline through Kevin and he jolted upright, Javier's arm being ripped away from him. His partner muttered something unintelligible and put the arm around Kevin's waist, attempting to pull him back to the warmth of the blankets and Javier's naked body.

"Stop it," Kevin muttered, pushing the arm aside again. He looked first to the door and noted it was shut tightly. The room was barely lit, natural light fighting its way through the blinds on the wall off to one side. His gaze swept around the room carefully as he reached out to the side drawer and pulled out the gun he knew rested inside. Popping the cartridge out to check that it was loaded, Kevin saw six bullets. Good. Detaching himself fully from Javier and the tempting bed, Kevin grabbed a pair of Javier's sweatpants from the floor and pulled them over his hips.

Tiptoeing to the door, Kevin looked back at Javier, cuddling a pillow to him and back asleep already. Satisfied Javier wouldn't be moving Kevin eased the door open and held the gun upright with his finger laid to the side of the trigger. A few seconds could be the difference between a misfire and safety of the apartment's insurance deposit.

Poking his way out and down the hallway, he crept quietly and checked each room in turn. His ears were kept open and his eyes peeled. He was sure he didn't blink until he reached the main area of the apartment. Glancing around the living room and kitchen, he saw things were tossed around lightly, searched through. His finger went to the trigger and he paned around the place once more and then headed for the front door. He moved quickly, carefully, gun out before him.

The front door was wide open, letting in a slight draft. Kevin's heart was hammering as he looked out of it and down the hallway, to the stairwell and main door used for all three of the apartments in this section. The front door was shut tightly and the stairwell was empty. Retreating back inside, Kevin shut and locked the door. If they were still in the apartment, at least he knew no one could join them from this way. His thoughts were suddenly on Javier, on that picture with his head circled in red.

Fleeing back to the bedroom, less carefully than his search through their rooted through apartment, Kevin wasn't breathing. As he neared the door he noted it was still wide open and he could see his partner lying there in bed, still asleep and hugging Kevin's pillow. Drawing up short in the doorway, Kevin glanced in and found it still empty. He breathed.

Something white and red caught his eyes and he looked at Javier's bedroom door. A letter in a dark blue ink was posted there with a white rose. Tearing the rose and note away from the door, Kevin wasn't all that worried about fingerprints. He wasn't thinking about evidence, he was thinking about how the man tormenting his life had come this close to Javier.

"Javier," he called from the doorway, hoping the man would wake up. Meanwhile his eyes scanned the letter, capturing and memorizing each word. He needed to call and check up on Stacy again.

"Mm," Javier murmured just as the alarm clock started in its blaring notes. The man shot upright and slapped at the button on top. That shut the clock up and Javier looked around a little lost. His eyes, groggy, landed on Kevin. "What're'ya doin'?" A yawn engulfed what else he may have asked.

Kevin shot his eyes to Javier, tucked the gun into his waistband at his lower back, and he blinked a few times, parsing the yawn-speak. "He was here, Javie. Look."

It took a pause of exactly two seconds then Javier was out of bed, naked, and fuming. "He fucking what? Here? And where's the goddamned detail then, sleeping on the fucking job? If he had hurt you…and you went looking…without me?"

Kevin was at Javier's side of the bed where the man was pacing by the time he'd finished his spewing. Staring at the man in a temper had Kevin smiling slightly, forgetting only briefly of the danger he was upset about. Leaning up just a touch he kissed the man's lips and rolled back to the flat of his feet. "I'm sorry. I didn't think straight."

Javier simmered and pouted at Kevin, but remained silent. He did hold out his hand, waiting for Kevin to deposit the letter in it.

Looking at the letter in his hand then to Javier's hand, Kevin slowly gave it to him. Javier read it out loud although Kevin had already memorized what had been written.

"Dearest Kevin,

It is unfortunate that you had to talk to Henry Marcus. He's been a kink in my neck for far too long. I have to admit, it made me quite angry to see him conversing with you when you're playing my game with me. He was a pawn that needed to be removed. Now it is down to us, Kevin, King versus King.

That is the way it will have to end, you know. I am getting too old and too tired to continue this game. I have to admit, this has been one of my most splendid game sessions. I have written about our time together often and I cannot seem to put my pencil aside now. What you and I have is amazing, don't you see?

Perhaps you do not see it just yet, so I will explain it to you. What I am giving you is a lesson, Kevin. It is a lesson in compassion, justice, and the exploration of the truth. You have been my greatest pupil and I am proud of you. Most of the others gave up or quickly found someone, anyone, Marcus, to blame it on. Not you though and thus I am retiring. You have been my success case and I can play out the End Game with my head held high and my heart in the right place. Now you will never see anyone as anything less than victim, and anyone guilty more than criminal- no matter what position or job they may hold.

Thank you for your perfection. In return I will give you a much bigger clue; Box 72. I know that doesn't seem like much, but I have faith in you Detective Kevin Ryan.

Your move, Dearest

-V.A."

Hearing it read out loud was somehow much worse, more real, and Kevin's stomach was now flip-flopping. Slapping a hand over his mouth, Kevin raced for the bathroom. He tore up the toilet seat and hunched himself over the porcelain bowl. Having nothing in his stomach this morning, his throat quickly became sore from dry heaving. He could feel tears brimming at his eyelids but blinked them back and focused on settling his stomach.

A warm hand found its way slowly across Kevin's back and he looked up, finding himself staring up into beautiful, concerned, brown eyes.

"We have to call Beckett, get the lab guys here to check for evidence." Javier's hand was still running soft circles across Kevin's back as he spoke to his partner. He was also still very naked.

Kevin nodded and looked his naked form up and down. "Funny, I still find you extremely attractive during all of this. You should go put some clothes on before I start feeling better."

Although he didn't seem to want to at first, Javier started laughing. He ruffled Kevin's hair and strode off after a lingering stare. Kevin pulled himself up off of the floor and went over to the sink. He ran some cool water and splashed his face, waking himself up to a less fight-flight state of mind. Cupping his hands to drink some of the water he cringed slightly as the cold water hit his sensitive gut. It brought back a nice bit of rationality and reasoning with the shock and so Kevin cupped his hands again.

The baritone murmur of Javier could be heard over the water but Kevin couldn't make out what he was saying. He could guess at the gist and the person on the other end.

8:00 A.M. Sunday: Case 23 days cold-

The apartment was filled to the brim with cops and Kevin couldn't look back at it from out on the sidewalk. He couldn't help but feel if maybe he'd just worked it out with Jenny then Javier wouldn't be having all of this trouble. Javier has had to put up with so much and all on Kevin's account. Not to mention that although he hadn't been touched during the break in, the picture they'd come across a few days ago pretty well marked him as a high priority target to this killer. It would certainly be quite a blow to Kevin in Javier wound up under the killer's hands.

And damn every rose that ever was. A vase of them, wilted and slightly stinking, sat on the next door stoop. Kevin was sure they were from that apartment and not some little piece of the killer's game and that sort of made it worse- he wouldn't be able to escape some associations.

Beckett stepped up next to him and Javier looked over. "Hey, sorry to start your morning off early."

She gave him a stern look that had his apology ending quickly. "I'm just glad that you're both okay." Beckett looked Kevin up and down and paused, her eyes on his sweats. "Are those…Javier's?"

"Uh," Kevin gaped down at them. "Yes they are. Must have slipped them on accidently in the hurry." Blue eyes watched Kate Beckett carefully and he knew. He knew that she knew. "So, what do you think about the box number? Mailbox somewhere? Security box?"

"Both are good possibilities. We'll have to look at a few places. When we get to the precinct I'll have you look up some possibles."

"Sure thing, and again, sorry." Kevin walked off to the car he and Javier would go in just as Castle jogged over to Beckett. He gave one look back, letting Beckett know that he knew her secret as well.

Kevin opened the car door and glanced across the roof, a movement across the street catching his eye. A man with slightly scruffy blond hair was walking down the street. The man glanced at the crime scene for a moment, pausing in his walking and then shuffled on. His actions weren't out of the ordinary but his face; Kevin swore he knew him somehow. He shook it off as having seen him in the days he'd spent hanging around Javier's. Perhaps the pizza joint he was walking by.

8:12 A.M. Monday: Case 24 days cold-

Normally Kevin wouldn't be sitting at his work desk on a Monday but after getting nowhere on the Box number all day he felt the need to put in a few more hours on this case. Vincent, if that was his name, was right. They had to play out this last little bit, this End Game. It would be that damned murderer's king that would be falling on the last move.

Kevin put his chin on his hand and heaved a sigh. He was out of ideas. They'd checked every post office box in the city, ninety percent of the safety boxes, and even some mailboxes in the neighborhoods. Every box 72 they'd come across had been empty.

Sinking further in his chair, Kevin was ready to give up until he could get at least three cups of coffee in him. The sudden feel of hands on his shoulders made him jump. Looking up he caught sight of Javier standing behind his chair. "Oh. Hey."

"Any ideas yet?" Javier moved around the chair and sat on Kevin's desk, one of Javier's legs resting against Kevin's.

Kevin shook his head and absently reached out his hand, resting it on Javier's thigh. His thumb ran back and forth, unknowingly tormenting his partner. "Box, a box with a number. It's a big clue. I should know it. It was directed at me." The way Kevin shifted in his chair made his gun dig painfully into his hip. "Damn it," he growled moving away from the arm of the chair.

He pulled his hand away from Javier and stood up quickly. "Box 72, of course! I'm such an idiot."

"Huh?" Javier looked up at him from his sitting position. "You lost me, bro. Fill me in?"

"My gun locker here is 72." Kevin didn't have to say more than that. Both men were off at a jog to the back of the precinct, headed for the gun range and gun lockers. Standing in front of it, Kevin looked at the locker without opening it.

Javier nudged his shoulder. "This could be one of the last steps. Open it."

"What if I'm not going to like what's inside?" Kevin looked back at his partner, eyebrows raised and swallowed heavily. He turned back to the gray metal locker, as tall as the shotgun needed it to be.

"Has to be checked eventually. Come on, we all want this ended." Javier reached around him and pulled up on the metal latch. It clicked and swung open with a rusty screech. Inside was all of Kevin's equipment- his vest, shotgun, extra bullets, and other objects- and another note. A brown-red streak across it read "KEVIN".

Kevin stepped back. "Is that…"

"Blood? I think so. I'd use gloves on this one." Javier turned away to grab a pair from the closet in the gun room. "Here."

Kevin slipped them on and picked up the letter. He flipped it open and all that was written in it was 'Vincent Alundro- Guilty'.