Serpent's Kiss Vol I: Emerald Sparks

Ch 8: Sly Foxes and Sexy Vixens

Kevin winced as he climbed out of his car, last night's riding and this morning activities had pulled on his wound pretty strongly and it hurt to move, hiding the pain was going to be almost grueling and the changes with their current case and the Serpent's Kiss, were starting to clash violently, he was starting to get dizzy, with all the fine tuning that had happened. The last three months had been brutal; he figured after being drowned in ice-water, things would mellow down, what with the lack of actual threats to his life, or Esposito's. Oh then Natalie Rhodes came over and threatened his whole love-life, which was rocky at best, and catastrophic at worst.

Jenny's constant need to call me every ten minutes to check up on me was starting to drive me up the wall.

The most disastrous thing would be having panicked and proposing to the same woman he had known for over five years. The bomb scare had freaked him out enough; to say his nerves were shot to hell would probably be an understatement.

I really bloody well need a vacation, somewhere warm...

Then they found a reporter in a pizza oven, that had put him off on Pizza for at least a month, and to add insult to serious injury, when he finally began getting better, having not getting sick at the sight of his favorite fast food, he had found out Lanie and Esposito had been seeing each other, although he was happy for Javi, it irritated and hurt him that Javier didn't trust him enough to simply tell him, he had to state it out so Javier would confess, and between all that, pits of women began appearing over the city filled with snakes. The first was just an assumed fluke, now they had a rather mental serial killer on their hands that seemed OCD, at best and just creepy at worst.

Oh that would have been okay, if the bloody sleeping pills had worked...

But it seems he wasn't as lucky as his Irish Heritage demanded. Kevin almost laughed out loud at that, smiling he walked into the precinct heading straight to the elevator, for a Sunday it was oddly empty, wasn't the place supposed to be teaming like ants, after all Crime never took a holiday. As he lifted his left hand unconsciously a piercing pain, travelled from his waist to his shoulder, and intensified brutally staggering into the elevator, he leaned against the elevator wall, and breathed deeply, "Fuck!" he hissed. Concentrating on his breathing he failed to acknowledge the elevator doors opening and Lanie stepping out.

The resident M.D. spared him a glance, "you okay? You're sweating like a pig", she asked. Ryan shook his head, breathing he staggered to move towards the door, and stumbled onto Lanie, "Pain", he hissed between gritted teeth. Lanie just managed to catch him, "Whoa! Whoa!" she crashed against the door, thanking every God in the sky, that they were now closed, she supported his weight and moved to the wall adjacent, "Sorry", he mumbled gathering his strength. Breathing deeply he pulled away, "I need a bloody vacation", he begged the ceiling of the elevator, "Let's go", he mumbled as the elevator opened on the floor they needed.

Lanie supported Ryan into the bullpen, setting him down in a chair, Ryan growled in agony. "Holy Cripes! What happened to you?" Beckett asked as Lanie hovered over him, protectively. Kevin scowled, "I'm experiencing some leprechaun luck", he said. Beckett raised an eyebrow quizzically. Castle just stared at him, "What?" he asked in confusion, clearly not understanding what he just said, Kevin shook his head, fishing out his Black berry he sighed, "Nevermind", he said through gritted teeth, Dialing in James' number he groaned into the mouthpiece, "James", he hissed. 'Kev? What, why the hell do you sound like you just took a bullet?' he answered. "The pain intensified; I thought your shots would have worked", he mumbled. 'Your resident M.D., anywhere close by?' James asked urgently, Kevin nodded and handed the phone to Lanie, "Dr. James Welsch, talk to him", he begged. Lanie nodded, "Dr. Lanie Parish, hello?" Lanie said as she took the Blackberry. 'Hey, James here', he answered quickly, 'Is he doubled over?' he asked. Lanie nodded with a rather surprised expression, "Yes? Although why should he be, all he hurt was his hand two days ago", she explained. James sighed, 'Bloody Idiots being brave, lift his sweater up, and check his wound on his waist, left side, check it please. I'll hold', James instructed quickly.