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Oct. 7th, 2011 01:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cassievalentineTitle Maybe This Time
Fandom Castle
Paring Kate Beckett/Richard Castle, mentions of Meredith Castle/Richard Castle
Rating PG13
Summary AU: In an alternate universe, Castle and Meredith try to save their failing marriage with another baby . . .
Warnings Kid fic, I guess. If that's really a warning in this fandom? Alternate Universe, Canon timeline fudging.
You look tired." Kate looked up when she heard him speak and she couldn't help but smile. She had a job that was hard mentally, emotionally and physically and some days just wore her down. When they had first started meeting up for coffee, she'd cancel on him when she felt like she did now, but after he had shown up looking exhausted and beaten down, she had stopped trying to hide it.
"Long, long, long case," she said with a sigh, giving him no more information as he placed their coffee's and a small plate of baked goods on the table. She wasn't quite sure how, but somehow in the last 3 weeks, Rick had figured out that her eating habits left something to be desired so he took it upon himself to feed her something every time they met up. Kate was still hazy as to how a cookie was any better than a bear claw, but it made him happy so she just went along with things. "I am more than glad it's over."
"Aren't you always glad when a case is done?" he asked her as he pulled his mug towards him, wrapping his hands around it. Hot coffee in July might not be the best idea, but it was theirs.
"Not always," she replied as she pulled her own mug over. Just because a case was over didn't mean there had been a happy ending. She had ended up sending a 6 year old girl into the foster care system after arresting her father for killing her mother while the girl was at school. Rick studied her for a moment, trying to decide if he should push for more, but when he caught sight of the sad, haunted look in Kate's eyes, he decided to leave her be. Castle hadn't learned a whole lot about Kate Beckett over the last three weeks. She kept a lot to herself and while he was usually very, very good at reading people, he was having a hell of a time reading her. He knew part of it was that she was a cop and had learned to school her features accordingly but part of it was also because she didn't really tell him anything of consequence. He had opened up to her a few times, told her a few stories and fears he held that he had yet to share with anyone else in the hopes that shed reciprocate, but she hadn't. She'd listened carefully to him before doing her best to offer comfort or understanding or whatever it was he needed in that moment.
"You have a lot of secrets, don't you?" he blurted out, his curiosity getting ahead of his brain. Kate paused, her brow furrowing and her eyes narrowing slightly as her mug hovered between the table and her mouth. "I mean, uh," he fumbled for a minute as he tried to figure out how to reword that statement without making the hole he was in any bigger. "Private," he finally blurted out. "You're very private."
"Not all of us want to live our lives on Page Six," she commented. She offered a quick apology when she saw the hurt look on his face. She had regretted her statement as soon as it had left her mouth but she was tired and punchy and he'd set her on edge with his line about keeping secrets. "Cop habit, I guess," she explained. "You learn to play everything close to the vest so the suspects don't catch on."
"That's not all it is though, is it?" he asked, leaning on the table so he was closer to her. "It's not just because you're a cop, is it?" Kate put her mug down and sat back in her chair, putting as much space between them as she could. This was a conversation she didn't have. With anyone. Let alone someone she'd only known for a few weeks. Rick watched her for a long time, not moving from his position almost afraid that he'd spook her and she'd run if he did. "Kate?" he prompted.
"I should go," she finally said, pushing her mug away and reaching for her bag.
"Kate," he said, reaching out quickly and grabbing her arm, stopping her from getting up from the table and leaving the cafe. She shook her head but didn't try to get her arm away from him.
"I shouldn't have come tonight," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm wrung out and my temper is short and I'm not good company," she told him quickly. "I should go," she said again, making a minimal effort to pull free from his grasp.
"Call me tomorrow," he told her. "You'll be in a better mood and I'll be less nosy." The looked at each other for a long moment before she finally nodded and he let her go. She slipped silently and swiftly through the crowd, weaving between the people in the shop and on the street outside with the grace only a born and bred New Yorker seemed to have.
"You're back early," Martha commented as she looked up from the lines she was working on to see her son slipping back to the loft.
"Yeah," was his reply, giving her nothing more as he toed off his shoes and headed to the fridge, finding something to drink before moving to sit at the table with her. "I overstepped," he finally said and Martha couldn't help but give him a sympathetic look before patting the back of his hand. "She makes it so damned hard to get to know her," he said, his frustrations of the last few weeks spilling out. "She's lively and animated when she asking questions, but as soon as I ask the wrong one, she just shuts down. She get's this look in her eyes and then she either makes an excuse to leave or changes the subject."
"Not every girl will answer every question you ask her," his mother pointed out. "You have been surrounded by a parade of beautiful women who are easily won over by your wit, charm and good looks and I hate to tell you this kiddo, but I don't think this Kate Beckett is one of them. I don't think she'll ever be one of them."
"I don't want her to be one of them," he said quickly, trying to keep the frustrated anger out of his voice. "I just want to have a conversation with her without walking into a damn mine field." He slammed his juice box down on the table with more force than necessary as he allowed himself a moment to pout. "I'm going to go and write," he finally muttered, leaving the juice box on the table as he pulled away from his mother's grasp and headed to the study.
He sat heavily in his chair and went through the motions of starting up his lap top and pulling up a fresh, clean word document, but he didn't know what to write. Derek Storm wasn't even in contention, nor did he feel like adding to the folder of stories he wrote for Alexis and Charlie. He stared at the blinking cursor for a long while, letting his mind wander and he was not at all surprised when his thoughts strayed to one Detective Kate Beckett. He let his mind go where it would, analyzing the memories of past conversations it dredged up, trying to find a pattern for the issues she didn't discuss, but was unable to find a pattern that would help him avoid another night like this one in the future.
"Darling, Kate Beckett is not the type of woman you're used to dealing with." He looked up to see his mother in the doorway of his office, her papers tucked neatly into a folder under her arm. "From what you've told me, she is smart, strong and fiercely independent, she's not like Meredith or Kyra or any of the other women you usually spend time with and you need to realize that."
"I am well aware of that, Mother," he replied.
"I'm sure you are. All I'm saying is that you are not going to be able to go about things as you traditionally do with the Detective. She's not going to make you her confessor if you push, if anything, she's going to run further." Rick swallowed hard a he considered his mother's words and ran his past coffee meetings through that context and he was slightly horrified to discover that his mother was right. Every time he pushed her, tried to get her to open up to him, she pulled back. When he got to close Kate changed the subject, or left the cafe, left him. With that in mind, he offered his mother a somewhat distracted goodbye and thank you for sitting with the kids before he turned his full attention back to the matter of Kate Beckett and getting her to open up to him, even just a little.
"I'm sorry," Kate blurted out as soon as she heard Rick's voice on the other end of the phone. She had tossed and turned all night, trying to work out why she acted the way she did around Rick, why she kept herself more closed off that usual but she hadn't been able to come up with a solid answer. "I just. . . I don't know. I'm sorry," she said again, tucking herself into the corner of her couch.
"I'm sorry too," he replied and Kate tensed, fearing the worse. "I shouldn't have pushed you like that, especially since I knew what kind of day you'd had." They both fell silent and let their apologies hang in the air as they each tried to decide what to say next.
"I don't mean to make it so hard," she finally admitted, so quietly he almost missed it. "I really don't. You're my friend, at least I hope you're still my friend, and I want to tell you things but I just can't do it," she explained. She knew that was the lamest, vaguest explanation ever, but it was all she had at the moment. She held her breath as she waited for him to say something, hoping that he'd understand, that he'd still want to be her friend after all this so when he finally replied, telling her he understood, but he didn't, she couldn't help but smile.
"You don't have to give me everything, Kate," he told her calmly. "I don't need your deepest secrets, but I need, I want, something more than your favourite colour and your lucky number."
"My birthday is November 17th," she suddenly heard herself saying. "I'm an only child, my mother was a lawyer and my dad still is. I wanted to be a writer at one point but, then again, I also wanted to just throw some things in a bag and ride my motorcycle around the country, picking up odd jobs for cash as I went. I hate oatmeal, love mashed potatoes and if I could have dinner with someone famous, dead of alive, I'd pick Rosa Parks because I am dying to know why she chose that particular day to take a stand," she finished, finally taking a breath as she waited for his response. "Rick?" she asked after what felt like ages and he hadn't replied yet.
"Thank you," he said after a moment and couldn't help but chuckle a little when he heard her let out a breath she had been holding. It wasn't long after all this that they launched into the same kind of conversation they usually had in the cafe, discussion about books, TV and movies before he began quizzing her about her job and she began doing the same to him. Side conversations about the minutia of daily life took place in between the other topics until he finally had to go. Charlie had grown frustrated with his blocks and Alexis would be home from her friends house soon.
"So, 6:30 on Tuesday?" she asked, making sure they were still on for their regular meeting.
"I'll bring the coffee," he assured her before they finally hung up.
"So," Lanie said, closing the exam file she was holding as she turned to face Kate. "Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?" Kate looked up from her own notes to stare at the ME.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. Lanie gave a sigh before she answered.
"What's got the boys all up in arms." Kate's furrowed brow deepened as Lanie explained the story to her. Ryan and Esposito had come down to interrogate Lanie about Kate's strange behaviour. "I'm assuming you've gotten yourself a secret boyfriend, so spill."
"I don't have a secret boyfriend," she said with a laugh. It was Lanie's turn to frown as she sent Kate a look. With a sigh and an eyeroll, Kate explained about Rick. She leaned against one of the autopsy table once she was done talking and waited for Lanie to throw in her two cents.
"You, Kate Beckett, have been having coffee at least one every couple of days for the last 6 weeks with Richard Castle," The ME finally got out. Kate nodded slowly. "And no one knows?"
"You know," Beckett said, offering Lanie a small shrug. Lanie started to slowly shake her head, her eyes never leaving Kate. Beckett couldn't really do any more that try and play innocent. She knew she had been holding out on her best friend by not telling her about Rick and she also knew that she could't explain why she had, especially since Lanie is usually the first person she calls after a date. Maybe she'd held off because she didn't think they'd go out more than once?
Kate couldn't figure out why she had been so sure it would be a one time thing, especially after she had gotten home from their first meeting. She'd had a really, really good time. He was charming, sure, and pretty to look at, but he was also interesting to listen to. The man was an excellent conversationalist with a very sharp wit.
Kate couldn't help but think that her mother would have liked him. She banished that particular thought as quickly as she could, hoping that she hadn't given any outward sign of her memories.
"Get out of my morgue," the ME finally said, pointing towards the door. "Ah! Out. And don't you come back until you have something juice to tell me!" Lanie called out. As soon as Kate slipped out of the doors, Lanie sagged against the autopsy table, still shaking her head in disbelieve. Who in their right mind had coffee every couple of days with their favourite author and didn't tell anyone about it?
Even after 3 months, Castle and Beckett were still meeting up as often as they could for coffee. He had slowly been teasing more and more out of Kate until he was able to start writing a narrative about her in his head. He also took the time to study her mannerisms so he could try and learn her tells. Kate had a fantastic poker face but he had learned a few things about her that she would probably never explain to him. He wanted to know if she reached for where her weapon should be when she's startled becasue of training or something else, or why she always wears that long silver chain. He thinks there's a ring on and he'd love to know why she doesn't wear it on her finger. He's also dying to ask her about the man's watch she's always wearing. "So," he finally said. "Doesn't your boyfriend mind that you spend all this time with me?" Rick dropped his gaze to the nearly empty coffee mug in his hands. He hopes he asked casually enough so it didn't seem like he was picking.
"No boyfriend," Kate told him as she pushed her empty mug away, crossing her arms on the table in front of her before leaning on them. "Why do you ask?"
"Your watch," he said, nodding towards it. He watched as something flickered in her eyes and rippled over her face. It only took a fraction of a second, but he was sure he'd seen something. He hopes lifted slightly when he saw her pull her bottom lip between her teeth and start worrying at it. She only did this when she was having a serious internal debate.
"It's uh, it's my dad's," she finally said as she dropped her head to stare at it while she placed her other hand on top of it. She ran a finger around the silver casing before she frapped her fingers lightly around the band and adjusted where it sat on her wrist.
"I'm sorry," he said as soon as he noticed the change in her demeanour. She fidgeted when she wanted out of a topic and she fidgeted the most when he tried to bring up her parents.
"My dad was having a rough time for a long while," she said, keeping the bulk of the details to herself. "He's doing good now, but I wear it to . . . I dunno," she finished, a small smile at the corners of her mouth. She knew exactly why she wore it, but he didn't need to know that.
"You know why," he told her softly as he reached out and put his hand over hers, stilling the nervous movements. "But you don't have to tell me, it's ok." She looked at their hands for a while before finally looking him in the eye again. "Alexis is turning 6 in a few weeks and she wants to invite her mother to the party," he told her, feeling the need to share something like she had. "And I can't bring myself to make the call. I'm terrified she's going to agree and then blow it off at the last minute."
"She wouldn't do that," Kate assured him. She couldn't think of any more who would do that to their kid, especially one that lived on the other side of the country. "Give up an excuse to come and see her kids?"
"She's done it before," he said with a shrug. "Alexis doesn't remember, but I do." She offered him a sympathetic smile and an apology as she moved her hand so she could hold on to his and give it a squeeze. "Charlie doesn't really remember her any more and I don't know how to fix that either," he let slip. She stayed quiet and kept a hold of his hand as he began to spill snippet after snippet about the kids and his ex and the complicated relationship they all had with each other. He stopped talking suddenly and focused his attention back on her before offering a quick apology for talking so much. "I don't even know why I told you all that," he finished with a wry smile.
"It's ok," she assured him before pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as she debated what to say next. "My dad's an alcoholic," she finally told him. "Was an alcoholic. He's been sober for 5 years." He looked her right in the eye and couldn't help but smile when he saw a faint blush spread over her cheeks.
"Can I take you out to dinner next week?" he asked suddenly. "Somewhere quiet. I know this great diner called Remy's, I think you'll like it." Kate leaned back from him a little and blinked. She honestly had no idea how to respond to this offer.
"Like, a date?" she finally asked. He nodded before he elaborated about how he wanted to pick her up and take her out to diner and then maybe even wander around New York if things went well.
"Just once," he finally said. "Come out with me once and if you don't want to do it again, we won't. We'll just go back to coffee." He watched her carefully as she tried to make up her mind.
"I might get called out in the middle," she finally said, part of her hoping that he'd change his mind. Then again, part of her was also hoping he wouldn't care that on call was different from a night off.
"I'll be disappointed, but I'll understand," he assured her. A comfortable silence fell over the pair for a moment. "Pick you up at 7?" he asked, hoping she'd finally answer and put him out of his misery.
"Yeah," she said, offering him small smile. "7 is good."
Rick and Kate ended up going to Remy's the next week and she didn't get called out. Things were a little awkward a first because they'd both suddenly realized that this dinner wasn't just dinner as friends but as the night went on, they relaxed and were soon snatching pickles and fries from each other's plates as they laughed and told stories.
He was fascinated by her stories about the precinct, about Ryan and Esposito and the things they got up to. He also had a good time ribbing her after he figured out that she was a fan of his books. She had blushed furiously at that and had tried to back track for a while before she started to make fun of him for stalking his own fansites. He'd tried to defend himself at first, but eventually he gave up and let her have her fun. He liked seeing her happy and he liked it even more when she was laughing, even if it was at his expense.
"Tonight was fun," he told her as he walked her up to her apartment later that evening.
"It was," she agreed. "You're not bad company, though maybe you should tuck your napkin in your collar next time," she snickered as she pointed to the ketchup on his shirt.
"Maybe next time you shouldn't throw your food!" he fired back as he gave her a nudge with his elbow. She stumbled a little as she chuckled before slowing down as they reached her apartment. "So this is you," he commented.
"This is me," she agreed as she jerked her thumb over her shoulder at her door.
"I'll call you in a couple of days?"
"Sounds good," she said as they fell silent. Neither was really sure how to go about ending the night completely. Eventually she started to fish her keys out of her bag, if only to give her something to do.
"Kate?" he asked quietly. She looked up at him but before she could do anything else he'd pulled her close and was kissing her softly. Her eye lids fluttered for a minute before they slid closed and she simply enjoyed the moment while returning the kiss. "I'll call you," he assured her, his voice nothing more than a whisper when they had finally pulled apart.
"You better," she assured him as he finally stepped and headed back down the hallway. She watched him go for a minute, a small smile on her face, before she finally managed to pull her keys out and open her door.
Lanie groaned as she heard her phone go off. She was supposed to be off tonight and really didn't want to answer it but she couldn't help herself. She paused the movie she was watching as she reached over and grabbed her cell, only to grin a little when she saw it was a text from Kate Beckett, not a call to a crime scene.
I think I'm dating Richard Castle was all it said.
Fandom Castle
Paring Kate Beckett/Richard Castle, mentions of Meredith Castle/Richard Castle
Rating PG13
Summary AU: In an alternate universe, Castle and Meredith try to save their failing marriage with another baby . . .
Warnings Kid fic, I guess. If that's really a warning in this fandom? Alternate Universe, Canon timeline fudging.
You look tired." Kate looked up when she heard him speak and she couldn't help but smile. She had a job that was hard mentally, emotionally and physically and some days just wore her down. When they had first started meeting up for coffee, she'd cancel on him when she felt like she did now, but after he had shown up looking exhausted and beaten down, she had stopped trying to hide it.
"Long, long, long case," she said with a sigh, giving him no more information as he placed their coffee's and a small plate of baked goods on the table. She wasn't quite sure how, but somehow in the last 3 weeks, Rick had figured out that her eating habits left something to be desired so he took it upon himself to feed her something every time they met up. Kate was still hazy as to how a cookie was any better than a bear claw, but it made him happy so she just went along with things. "I am more than glad it's over."
"Aren't you always glad when a case is done?" he asked her as he pulled his mug towards him, wrapping his hands around it. Hot coffee in July might not be the best idea, but it was theirs.
"Not always," she replied as she pulled her own mug over. Just because a case was over didn't mean there had been a happy ending. She had ended up sending a 6 year old girl into the foster care system after arresting her father for killing her mother while the girl was at school. Rick studied her for a moment, trying to decide if he should push for more, but when he caught sight of the sad, haunted look in Kate's eyes, he decided to leave her be. Castle hadn't learned a whole lot about Kate Beckett over the last three weeks. She kept a lot to herself and while he was usually very, very good at reading people, he was having a hell of a time reading her. He knew part of it was that she was a cop and had learned to school her features accordingly but part of it was also because she didn't really tell him anything of consequence. He had opened up to her a few times, told her a few stories and fears he held that he had yet to share with anyone else in the hopes that shed reciprocate, but she hadn't. She'd listened carefully to him before doing her best to offer comfort or understanding or whatever it was he needed in that moment.
"You have a lot of secrets, don't you?" he blurted out, his curiosity getting ahead of his brain. Kate paused, her brow furrowing and her eyes narrowing slightly as her mug hovered between the table and her mouth. "I mean, uh," he fumbled for a minute as he tried to figure out how to reword that statement without making the hole he was in any bigger. "Private," he finally blurted out. "You're very private."
"Not all of us want to live our lives on Page Six," she commented. She offered a quick apology when she saw the hurt look on his face. She had regretted her statement as soon as it had left her mouth but she was tired and punchy and he'd set her on edge with his line about keeping secrets. "Cop habit, I guess," she explained. "You learn to play everything close to the vest so the suspects don't catch on."
"That's not all it is though, is it?" he asked, leaning on the table so he was closer to her. "It's not just because you're a cop, is it?" Kate put her mug down and sat back in her chair, putting as much space between them as she could. This was a conversation she didn't have. With anyone. Let alone someone she'd only known for a few weeks. Rick watched her for a long time, not moving from his position almost afraid that he'd spook her and she'd run if he did. "Kate?" he prompted.
"I should go," she finally said, pushing her mug away and reaching for her bag.
"Kate," he said, reaching out quickly and grabbing her arm, stopping her from getting up from the table and leaving the cafe. She shook her head but didn't try to get her arm away from him.
"I shouldn't have come tonight," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm wrung out and my temper is short and I'm not good company," she told him quickly. "I should go," she said again, making a minimal effort to pull free from his grasp.
"Call me tomorrow," he told her. "You'll be in a better mood and I'll be less nosy." The looked at each other for a long moment before she finally nodded and he let her go. She slipped silently and swiftly through the crowd, weaving between the people in the shop and on the street outside with the grace only a born and bred New Yorker seemed to have.
"You're back early," Martha commented as she looked up from the lines she was working on to see her son slipping back to the loft.
"Yeah," was his reply, giving her nothing more as he toed off his shoes and headed to the fridge, finding something to drink before moving to sit at the table with her. "I overstepped," he finally said and Martha couldn't help but give him a sympathetic look before patting the back of his hand. "She makes it so damned hard to get to know her," he said, his frustrations of the last few weeks spilling out. "She's lively and animated when she asking questions, but as soon as I ask the wrong one, she just shuts down. She get's this look in her eyes and then she either makes an excuse to leave or changes the subject."
"Not every girl will answer every question you ask her," his mother pointed out. "You have been surrounded by a parade of beautiful women who are easily won over by your wit, charm and good looks and I hate to tell you this kiddo, but I don't think this Kate Beckett is one of them. I don't think she'll ever be one of them."
"I don't want her to be one of them," he said quickly, trying to keep the frustrated anger out of his voice. "I just want to have a conversation with her without walking into a damn mine field." He slammed his juice box down on the table with more force than necessary as he allowed himself a moment to pout. "I'm going to go and write," he finally muttered, leaving the juice box on the table as he pulled away from his mother's grasp and headed to the study.
He sat heavily in his chair and went through the motions of starting up his lap top and pulling up a fresh, clean word document, but he didn't know what to write. Derek Storm wasn't even in contention, nor did he feel like adding to the folder of stories he wrote for Alexis and Charlie. He stared at the blinking cursor for a long while, letting his mind wander and he was not at all surprised when his thoughts strayed to one Detective Kate Beckett. He let his mind go where it would, analyzing the memories of past conversations it dredged up, trying to find a pattern for the issues she didn't discuss, but was unable to find a pattern that would help him avoid another night like this one in the future.
"Darling, Kate Beckett is not the type of woman you're used to dealing with." He looked up to see his mother in the doorway of his office, her papers tucked neatly into a folder under her arm. "From what you've told me, she is smart, strong and fiercely independent, she's not like Meredith or Kyra or any of the other women you usually spend time with and you need to realize that."
"I am well aware of that, Mother," he replied.
"I'm sure you are. All I'm saying is that you are not going to be able to go about things as you traditionally do with the Detective. She's not going to make you her confessor if you push, if anything, she's going to run further." Rick swallowed hard a he considered his mother's words and ran his past coffee meetings through that context and he was slightly horrified to discover that his mother was right. Every time he pushed her, tried to get her to open up to him, she pulled back. When he got to close Kate changed the subject, or left the cafe, left him. With that in mind, he offered his mother a somewhat distracted goodbye and thank you for sitting with the kids before he turned his full attention back to the matter of Kate Beckett and getting her to open up to him, even just a little.
"I'm sorry," Kate blurted out as soon as she heard Rick's voice on the other end of the phone. She had tossed and turned all night, trying to work out why she acted the way she did around Rick, why she kept herself more closed off that usual but she hadn't been able to come up with a solid answer. "I just. . . I don't know. I'm sorry," she said again, tucking herself into the corner of her couch.
"I'm sorry too," he replied and Kate tensed, fearing the worse. "I shouldn't have pushed you like that, especially since I knew what kind of day you'd had." They both fell silent and let their apologies hang in the air as they each tried to decide what to say next.
"I don't mean to make it so hard," she finally admitted, so quietly he almost missed it. "I really don't. You're my friend, at least I hope you're still my friend, and I want to tell you things but I just can't do it," she explained. She knew that was the lamest, vaguest explanation ever, but it was all she had at the moment. She held her breath as she waited for him to say something, hoping that he'd understand, that he'd still want to be her friend after all this so when he finally replied, telling her he understood, but he didn't, she couldn't help but smile.
"You don't have to give me everything, Kate," he told her calmly. "I don't need your deepest secrets, but I need, I want, something more than your favourite colour and your lucky number."
"My birthday is November 17th," she suddenly heard herself saying. "I'm an only child, my mother was a lawyer and my dad still is. I wanted to be a writer at one point but, then again, I also wanted to just throw some things in a bag and ride my motorcycle around the country, picking up odd jobs for cash as I went. I hate oatmeal, love mashed potatoes and if I could have dinner with someone famous, dead of alive, I'd pick Rosa Parks because I am dying to know why she chose that particular day to take a stand," she finished, finally taking a breath as she waited for his response. "Rick?" she asked after what felt like ages and he hadn't replied yet.
"Thank you," he said after a moment and couldn't help but chuckle a little when he heard her let out a breath she had been holding. It wasn't long after all this that they launched into the same kind of conversation they usually had in the cafe, discussion about books, TV and movies before he began quizzing her about her job and she began doing the same to him. Side conversations about the minutia of daily life took place in between the other topics until he finally had to go. Charlie had grown frustrated with his blocks and Alexis would be home from her friends house soon.
"So, 6:30 on Tuesday?" she asked, making sure they were still on for their regular meeting.
"I'll bring the coffee," he assured her before they finally hung up.
"So," Lanie said, closing the exam file she was holding as she turned to face Kate. "Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?" Kate looked up from her own notes to stare at the ME.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. Lanie gave a sigh before she answered.
"What's got the boys all up in arms." Kate's furrowed brow deepened as Lanie explained the story to her. Ryan and Esposito had come down to interrogate Lanie about Kate's strange behaviour. "I'm assuming you've gotten yourself a secret boyfriend, so spill."
"I don't have a secret boyfriend," she said with a laugh. It was Lanie's turn to frown as she sent Kate a look. With a sigh and an eyeroll, Kate explained about Rick. She leaned against one of the autopsy table once she was done talking and waited for Lanie to throw in her two cents.
"You, Kate Beckett, have been having coffee at least one every couple of days for the last 6 weeks with Richard Castle," The ME finally got out. Kate nodded slowly. "And no one knows?"
"You know," Beckett said, offering Lanie a small shrug. Lanie started to slowly shake her head, her eyes never leaving Kate. Beckett couldn't really do any more that try and play innocent. She knew she had been holding out on her best friend by not telling her about Rick and she also knew that she could't explain why she had, especially since Lanie is usually the first person she calls after a date. Maybe she'd held off because she didn't think they'd go out more than once?
Kate couldn't figure out why she had been so sure it would be a one time thing, especially after she had gotten home from their first meeting. She'd had a really, really good time. He was charming, sure, and pretty to look at, but he was also interesting to listen to. The man was an excellent conversationalist with a very sharp wit.
Kate couldn't help but think that her mother would have liked him. She banished that particular thought as quickly as she could, hoping that she hadn't given any outward sign of her memories.
"Get out of my morgue," the ME finally said, pointing towards the door. "Ah! Out. And don't you come back until you have something juice to tell me!" Lanie called out. As soon as Kate slipped out of the doors, Lanie sagged against the autopsy table, still shaking her head in disbelieve. Who in their right mind had coffee every couple of days with their favourite author and didn't tell anyone about it?
Even after 3 months, Castle and Beckett were still meeting up as often as they could for coffee. He had slowly been teasing more and more out of Kate until he was able to start writing a narrative about her in his head. He also took the time to study her mannerisms so he could try and learn her tells. Kate had a fantastic poker face but he had learned a few things about her that she would probably never explain to him. He wanted to know if she reached for where her weapon should be when she's startled becasue of training or something else, or why she always wears that long silver chain. He thinks there's a ring on and he'd love to know why she doesn't wear it on her finger. He's also dying to ask her about the man's watch she's always wearing. "So," he finally said. "Doesn't your boyfriend mind that you spend all this time with me?" Rick dropped his gaze to the nearly empty coffee mug in his hands. He hopes he asked casually enough so it didn't seem like he was picking.
"No boyfriend," Kate told him as she pushed her empty mug away, crossing her arms on the table in front of her before leaning on them. "Why do you ask?"
"Your watch," he said, nodding towards it. He watched as something flickered in her eyes and rippled over her face. It only took a fraction of a second, but he was sure he'd seen something. He hopes lifted slightly when he saw her pull her bottom lip between her teeth and start worrying at it. She only did this when she was having a serious internal debate.
"It's uh, it's my dad's," she finally said as she dropped her head to stare at it while she placed her other hand on top of it. She ran a finger around the silver casing before she frapped her fingers lightly around the band and adjusted where it sat on her wrist.
"I'm sorry," he said as soon as he noticed the change in her demeanour. She fidgeted when she wanted out of a topic and she fidgeted the most when he tried to bring up her parents.
"My dad was having a rough time for a long while," she said, keeping the bulk of the details to herself. "He's doing good now, but I wear it to . . . I dunno," she finished, a small smile at the corners of her mouth. She knew exactly why she wore it, but he didn't need to know that.
"You know why," he told her softly as he reached out and put his hand over hers, stilling the nervous movements. "But you don't have to tell me, it's ok." She looked at their hands for a while before finally looking him in the eye again. "Alexis is turning 6 in a few weeks and she wants to invite her mother to the party," he told her, feeling the need to share something like she had. "And I can't bring myself to make the call. I'm terrified she's going to agree and then blow it off at the last minute."
"She wouldn't do that," Kate assured him. She couldn't think of any more who would do that to their kid, especially one that lived on the other side of the country. "Give up an excuse to come and see her kids?"
"She's done it before," he said with a shrug. "Alexis doesn't remember, but I do." She offered him a sympathetic smile and an apology as she moved her hand so she could hold on to his and give it a squeeze. "Charlie doesn't really remember her any more and I don't know how to fix that either," he let slip. She stayed quiet and kept a hold of his hand as he began to spill snippet after snippet about the kids and his ex and the complicated relationship they all had with each other. He stopped talking suddenly and focused his attention back on her before offering a quick apology for talking so much. "I don't even know why I told you all that," he finished with a wry smile.
"It's ok," she assured him before pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as she debated what to say next. "My dad's an alcoholic," she finally told him. "Was an alcoholic. He's been sober for 5 years." He looked her right in the eye and couldn't help but smile when he saw a faint blush spread over her cheeks.
"Can I take you out to dinner next week?" he asked suddenly. "Somewhere quiet. I know this great diner called Remy's, I think you'll like it." Kate leaned back from him a little and blinked. She honestly had no idea how to respond to this offer.
"Like, a date?" she finally asked. He nodded before he elaborated about how he wanted to pick her up and take her out to diner and then maybe even wander around New York if things went well.
"Just once," he finally said. "Come out with me once and if you don't want to do it again, we won't. We'll just go back to coffee." He watched her carefully as she tried to make up her mind.
"I might get called out in the middle," she finally said, part of her hoping that he'd change his mind. Then again, part of her was also hoping he wouldn't care that on call was different from a night off.
"I'll be disappointed, but I'll understand," he assured her. A comfortable silence fell over the pair for a moment. "Pick you up at 7?" he asked, hoping she'd finally answer and put him out of his misery.
"Yeah," she said, offering him small smile. "7 is good."
Rick and Kate ended up going to Remy's the next week and she didn't get called out. Things were a little awkward a first because they'd both suddenly realized that this dinner wasn't just dinner as friends but as the night went on, they relaxed and were soon snatching pickles and fries from each other's plates as they laughed and told stories.
He was fascinated by her stories about the precinct, about Ryan and Esposito and the things they got up to. He also had a good time ribbing her after he figured out that she was a fan of his books. She had blushed furiously at that and had tried to back track for a while before she started to make fun of him for stalking his own fansites. He'd tried to defend himself at first, but eventually he gave up and let her have her fun. He liked seeing her happy and he liked it even more when she was laughing, even if it was at his expense.
"Tonight was fun," he told her as he walked her up to her apartment later that evening.
"It was," she agreed. "You're not bad company, though maybe you should tuck your napkin in your collar next time," she snickered as she pointed to the ketchup on his shirt.
"Maybe next time you shouldn't throw your food!" he fired back as he gave her a nudge with his elbow. She stumbled a little as she chuckled before slowing down as they reached her apartment. "So this is you," he commented.
"This is me," she agreed as she jerked her thumb over her shoulder at her door.
"I'll call you in a couple of days?"
"Sounds good," she said as they fell silent. Neither was really sure how to go about ending the night completely. Eventually she started to fish her keys out of her bag, if only to give her something to do.
"Kate?" he asked quietly. She looked up at him but before she could do anything else he'd pulled her close and was kissing her softly. Her eye lids fluttered for a minute before they slid closed and she simply enjoyed the moment while returning the kiss. "I'll call you," he assured her, his voice nothing more than a whisper when they had finally pulled apart.
"You better," she assured him as he finally stepped and headed back down the hallway. She watched him go for a minute, a small smile on her face, before she finally managed to pull her keys out and open her door.
Lanie groaned as she heard her phone go off. She was supposed to be off tonight and really didn't want to answer it but she couldn't help herself. She paused the movie she was watching as she reached over and grabbed her cell, only to grin a little when she saw it was a text from Kate Beckett, not a call to a crime scene.
I think I'm dating Richard Castle was all it said.
