A Story Like Yours

Disclaimer: So I'm totally Andrew Marlowe. Okay, okay, I'm sorry *cries* I lied! I'm only a Castle fan with no life.

A/N: Hey Guys so I have decided to continuue this story. It was originally a Secret Santa for CastleAddiction. The prompt was: AU Castle, meet as teenagers rather than adults. I'm not really an AU writer and this is my first piece like this so I'm really nervous. Please let me know your thoughts about it.

I should hopefully have more for you after my beta has a go at it.

~Rose

Prologue

The clock on the wall above the teacher's desk in Ms. Prince's senior English Literature class seemed to be moving slower than usual. Eighteen year old Richard Rodgers was zoned out of the lesson on Seventeenth Century poetry and instead was writing couplets all over his notebook.

Rick always knew he wanted to be a writer. Words just seemed to dance around his head and he loved making them into brilliant stories.

He soon gave up on writing couplets and switched to writing a story about a bored boy in an English Lit class. He just got to a part where the boy realized he could fly when the classroom door opened and a new girl walked in.

The girl was hot, Rick couldn't deny that. She had soft brown curls that hit midway between her shoulder and elbow, delicate features, and legs that went on forever. But despite her good looks there was something about the girl that almost made her look tortured. Not tortured physically, but tortured emotionally. Maybe it was the fact that she was wearing all black, or perhaps it could be the haunted look in her large hazel eyes.

"Ah, hello Miss Beckett," Ms. Prince said to the girl, "Class this is Katherine Beckett joining us here at The Dalton School from Columbia Secondary School."

Without a word Katherine sat down in the only available seat, in front of Rick. This new girl interested Rick immensely. Aside from being hot, the ghosts of her past that showed in her eyes intrigued him. He wanted—no, needed—to know her story.

"Hi," he whispered, poking her in the back with his pen, "I'm Rick."

"Kate," she muttered softly under her breath.

"I can tell you're a girl with a story Kate," Rick told her while putting his hand on her shoulder and turning her around to face him, "and good stories are meant to be told."

Kate's face went ashen as she shocked herself by saying, "Good stories are supposed to have a happy ending. My story doesn't."

"You're the writer of your own story Kate. If you don't like how it's going, change it."

"That's easy for you to say," she replied darkly. Her tone made Rick wonder what had really happened to her.

"Mr. Rodgers, if you are done trying to charm Miss Beckett can we return to the lesson," Ms. Prince said, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry Ms. Prince," Rick said turning on the charm. He grabbed a piece of paper and scrawled out "Meet me at the front door after school" before handing it to Kate. She gave him a single nod and they both returned to zoning out of the class.

~O.o.O.o.O~

Kate wasn't sure why she agreed to meet Rick after school. He could clearly read her like an open book and it scared her. What if she said the wrong thing? What if she told him everything? She had already said too much.

Her head told her to turn around and run in the other direction but her feet said otherwise as they carried her to the front of the school.

He was standing there, leaning against the school, a notebook in one hand and a pen in the other.

"Hey," he said smiling at her.

"You wanted to see me," she responded, trying not to give in to his smile. He was very good looking but Kate refused to let herself be charmed.

"So what's your story Kate?" he asked her, still smiling.

"Not everyone has a story Rick," she told him scowling.

"Everyone has a story," he told her setting his hand on her shoulder, "all I want to know is what yours is."

Kate pretended to look at her watch and mumbled, "Well I should actually be heading home; my dad will be expecting me."

She walked away as Rick called out, "Kate! Wait!" but she didn't even pause. Before Rick knew it she was out of sight and Rick was more determined than ever to hear her story.

~O.o.O.o.O~

Kate stood in front of her mirror in her room. At only seventeen years old the teen had lived through more than most adults. As she took off her shirt she saw the navel ring she got after that fateful night. She had been so angry at her father for handling everything by burying himself in the bottom of a bottle. She had rebelled by getting her belly button pierced and by getting the initials "JB" just above her hip. Her father wasn't pleased when he found out what she did but Kate didn't care anymore.

She didn't find the need to rebel any more but she still closed herself off from everyone. She had a wall up that no one had been able to crack. At least no one had until she met Rick. He was the only one she had ever been tempted to tell her story to before.

~O.o.O.o.O~

"Richard?" Martha Rodgers called out from the living room when Rick got home.

"Hello Mother," Rick responded. It was the first time he had really seen her in a week since she began her run of Anything Goes.

"How was your day Richard?" the redheaded actress asked.

"Interesting," Rick admitted.

"I don't usually get that answer from you," Martha mused, "what happened?"

"There is a new girl at school," Rick told her.

"I see," Martha said with a smile, "is she pretty?"

"Gorgeous, but that's not what fascinates me about her."

"Really?" Martha asked intrigued.

"There's just something about her," he began, "I can tell she has an interesting back story; I just have to find out what it is."

"Oh dear," the actress mumbled, "the girl is a goner. Don't push her too hard Richard."

"Me push? You must have me mistaken for someone else," Rick said with mock innocence.

"Oh kiddo, kiddo." Martha shook her head at her son and walked away.

~O.o.O.o.O~

The next day Rick managed to get Kate alone again. It was lunch time and she was at a table alone. "Hey Kate," he said sliding into the seat next to her.

"Hi Rick," she said repressing a smile.

"How are you Kate?"

"Fine," she responded without really looking at him.

"You don't sound fine," he said with a touch of concern in his voice.

"I'm fine Rick," she said again.

"You sure?"

"Positive," she said harsher.

"Well if you ever need someone to talk to I am here," Rick told her.

"I keep that in mind," she scoffed before getting up and leaving the cafeteria.

~O.o.O.o.O~

The next three days passed without Rick seeing Kate; in fact she wasn't even at school. He was actually starting to get a little concerned.

He found out from his nosey mother where the Beckett's lived and he decided to visit her house after school. Knocking on the door he was actually a little concerned.

"Hello," a man said answering the door.

"Hi is this where Kate lives?" Rick asked.

"Yes," the man answered, "I'm her father Jim Beckett."

"Hello Mr. Beckett, I'm Rick Rodgers" Rick said holding out his hand for the man to shake it, "may I come in?"

"Sure Rick," Jim said, "just let me call down Katie." Jim walked over to the staircase and shouted "Katie! There's someone here to see you."

Jim motioned for Rick to enter the living room while Kate walked down the stairs.

"Rick?" she asked puzzled to why he was in her house.

"Hi Kate. I've missed you at school."

"I've missed you at school?" she mocked, "how original."

"Can we talk for a second?" Rick asked ignoring her sarcasm.

"I think that's my cue," Jim commented, "I'll just be in the next room so if I don't hear any talking I will come and investigate."

With that Jim left the room and Rick and Kate were now alone. "Why haven't you been in school for a couple days?" Rick asked her.

"Just haven't been feeling well," she responded lamely.

It was then that Rick looked into her eyes and saw that she had been crying."Whats wrong Kate? Tell me the truth this time."

"Its just a sad day," she admitted.

"Why?"

"It's been one year since my mother was murdered."

~O.o.O.o.O~

Rick listened intently while Kate explained how her mother was stabbed in an alley a year before. Kate was amazed that she had told all this to him. It didn't scare him off like she was afraid it would. Instead he was even more intrigued. "I'm amazed by your strength Kate," he told her cupping her cheek with his hand. He really wanted to kiss her, nut he wouldn't. Not yet. Maybe not for a long time. He would wait until she was ready.

Rick now knew exactly what he wanted to do in life. He was going to write crime novels and he was planning on basing the main character on a tortured teen that would probably grow up to become a homicide detective. Now all he needed was to come up with a pen name for himself. He had a couple ideas but only one really stood out to him: Richard Castle.