A/N: this started off as a short little story, but i suck at writing short stories, and it grew into the monstrosity it is now :P. it evolved in a different direction than i thought it would, too, but i just sorta went with it. i like writing Lanie, let me know what you think!! your reviews come with a guarantee of making the author smile!

some "scenes" take place over the phone. i don't think it's too hard to figure out which ones, just thought i'd clarify to make sure.

disclaimer: sadly, Castle isn't mine; i'm just playing with it. i borrowed a line from Bones, and from the movie Overboard. anyone who figures out which ones gets their very own Rick Castle dressed as a knight in shining armor. ;]

Fairytale

"Beckett."

"So, are you gonna tell me about him, or do I have to turn to Entertainment Tonight to get info about your new arrangement?"

"Lanie, you watch that garbage anyway."

"Truuuuue, but I'd much rather hear it from you!"

Kate groaned. "He's consulting."

"Yeah, in layman's terms, please?"

Kate grit her teeth. "He gets to follow me around until we put someone behind bars."

Lanie squealed. "Honey, that's fantastic!"

"Care to enlighten me as to how?"

"Oh come on, girl! You love him!"

"I do not love him!" Kate exclaimed indignantly.

Lanie rolled her eyes. "Okay, you love his books. And now you get to spend every minute of the day with him? It's like a fairytale."

Kate made a face. "Lanie, what are you on? This is nothing like a fairytale."

"Who says he won't end up being your Prince Charming?"

"Well, he's not a prince, and he most certainly isn't charming…"

"Damn, who peed in your coffee?"

"Him."

"Excuse me?"

"Have you ever babysat for a child imprisoned in a grown man's body?"

"Can't say that I've had the pleasure, no."

"Would you like to?"

Lanie chuckled. "All I'm saying is, give the man a chance. He might surprise you."

---------------------

"Hello?"

"Lanie."

"Kate?"

"Surprise."

"Huh?"

"He's not leaving."

"What are you talking about?"

"Castle."

"What do you mean he's not leaving?"

"I mean that I thought I would be rid of him when this case ended, but I'm not!"

"What? Why?!"

"Oh, he only talked the mayor into convincing my boss to let him shadow me."

"For real?"

"Unfortunately."

"Why does he still need to shadow you? I mean, if he likes you he could just ask you out."

"He tried that. But apparently he wants to do research," Kate put sarcastic emphasis on the word, "for his new books."

"What, he suddenly doesn't know how to write murder mysteries?"

"No, he suddenly found an inspiration for his new character."

"Wait a minute…" Lanie said slowly, putting the pieces together. "You?!"

"Yep."

"You are the inspiration for Richard Castle's new character?!"

"It seems so."

"Holy hell, girl! That's amazing!"

"What, having to deal with him on a semi permanent basis?"

"Hey, it's not like he's hard to look at."

Kate blew her hair out of her eyes in frustration. "Alright," she said grudgingly, "I'll give you that. But it's cancelled out by his impossibility to deal with."

Lanie laughed. "Katie, you're the impossible one."

Kate heaved an aggravated sigh. "Spend a day with him and then tell me I'm being impossible."

"Sounds good to me!"

"I hate you."

"Oh hush, you love me."

"Not if you ever tell him I talk about him. The day that happens, we are no longer friends."

"Come on, what would you do without me?"

Kate chuckled. "I'd have a smaller cell phone bill, that's for sure."

----------------------------

"Oh my god, Kate. You flirted."

"It was not flirting! It was—"

"Flirting."

"No!"

"Yes."

"Lanie—"

"Look, I'm not negotiating on this one. You showed up at his book reading in a short dress. Seems like pretty simple math to me."

"I just did it to make a point!"

"What, that you love him?"

"Stop saying that!"

"Not until you admit that it's true."

"I won't, because it's not."

"Will you admit that you like him at least?"

Kate paused. Lanie grinned at her friend's hesitation. "Lanie, you tell anyone and you die."

"Yes ma'am. But will you be telling him anytime soon?"

"Are you insane?"

Lanie sighed. "Okay, I won't bother arguing. But you have to show him you're at least somewhat interested. I know half the fun is the chase, but the other half is the prospect of a reward."

"And how should I do that?" Kate asked skeptically.

"I don't know. Ask him for help, maybe? Listen to what he has to say? Wearing that dress again wouldn't hurt," she added as an afterthought.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Goodbye, Lanie."

Lanie laughed. "See you in the morgue."

---------------------------

"Hello?"

"I've got a question for you."

"Okay, shoot."

"Is Prince Charming supposed to sleep with his ex wife right after you tell him that your mother was murdered?"

Lanie was momentarily speechless. "Whoa, you told him?"

Kate sighed. "Yeah, I told him."

"That's huge, Katie."

"Well, I only told him because he figured it out."

"He figured it out?"

"Sort of."

"How'd he manage that?!"

"He noticed that I wear my dad's watch, so he thought it was my dad that was killed."

Lanie was impressed. "That's pretty damn close."

"Yeah, I figured I had to tell him after he got that much."

"How'd he react?"

Kate sighed. "…I don't know. He saw it coming, so there was no surprise. It didn't seem like he pities me, either. He was actually really good about it."

"I can't believe he figured it out."

"I can't believe he slept with his ex wife!"

"He's a good guy, Katie. Cut him some slack."

"Lanie, I'd just told him about my mom's murder. Shouldn't that mean something to him?!"

"I'm sure it does! And it's not like he picked some random girl off the street. I mean, there's some history there."

Kate sighed. "But still…"

"Look. Prince Charmings don't really exist; you're not going to find anyone that's completely perfect. But this guy can read you like a book. Don't you think that's worth pursuing, or at least keeping around?"

Kate paused. "I hate it when you're right."

--------------------

Rick Castle took a sip of coffee and lounged back in his chair, smiling contentedly. Kate sat at her desk, typing furiously, all of her concentration on her computer monitor. Rick cleared his throat to get her attention. She looked at him, slightly annoyed that he broke her focus.

"Are you sure you don't want any?" he asked, lifting his mug.

"No, I'm fine, thanks," Kate said, turning her attention back to her computer.

Rick shrugged. "Okay." He glanced around the room absentmindedly, a smile spreading across his face.

Kate eyed him. "Why are you so happy?"

He sighed happily. "Meredith is gone."

She raised an eyebrow. "Gone?"

"Yep. She's back in LA working on a movie, and has put her plans on moving back to New York on hold." He raised his mug in a toast. "I'll drink to that." He took a sip.

"Wait a second," Kate said, putting her elbows on her desk and leaning forward, "You sleep with her when she's here, but celebrate when she's gone?"

"Basically."

She wrinkled her nose and sat back in her chair. "Nice, Castle. Very nice."

"What? I deal with her for a few days, then she gets unbearably annoying, and then she leaves. It's like a fairytale."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, life's not a fairytale."

"You don't believe in happy endings?"

"I don't have any reason to."

"Wow, jaded much?"

Kate raised her eyebrows. "Can you blame me?"

"Maybe not, but every girl should believe in fairytales."

Kate raked a hand through her hair. Lanie's voice was currently running through her head; you have to show him you're at least somewhat interested.

How do I do that? Kate asked silently.

Lanie answered back; talk to him.

Kate sighed and looked Rick in the eyes. "You want to know what comes to mind when I think of fairytales? My mom."

Rick's gaze softened. "Why?"

Kate took a deep breath. "When I was ten, my parents got invited to a wedding. While they were getting ready, I watched TV in the living room. I was so excited to see them all dressed up." Kate bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to hold in the sadness brought on by the memory. "My mom walked out of her room wearing this gorgeous red dress. It was like something out of a movie." She looked down at her hands and blinked back tears. "I thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. I couldn't stop thinking about how that night reminded me of Cinderella, getting dressed up and going to a ball with her prince charming." She sighed, composing herself, and looked up. "Ten years later, she was dead. Not much of a happily ever after." With that, Kate resumed her work.

Rick didn't know what to say. After a few speechless moments filled only with the clacking of her keyboard, he decided to speak honestly. "You deserve a happy ending more than anybody."

Kate chuckled sadly. "Thanks, but it doesn't look like it's in the cards for me."

We'll see about that, he thought to himself.

--------------------------

"Results 1-10 of about 249,000 for "Metropolitan American Dance Theater."

Rick pursed his lips in concentration as he scrolled through the websites Google listed for him. He clicked on one that looked promising, and began reading through the information it gave. History of the organization, purpose of the organization, founders of the organization … don't care, don't care, don't care. Beginning to lose hope of finding something worthwhile, he clicked on "How to Donate."

"The MADT holds four fundraisers every year, held on the following dates…"

Rick sat up straighter in his chair and grinned; he'd struck gold. He was going to give Kate her fairytale, and he was going to do it right. He scanned the page for contact information and quickly dialed the number.

"Is this Rachel Maddox? …Hi, I'm Rick Castle. I was wondering if I could talk to you about the event you're hosting this evening."

-------------------------

"You know what he's trying to do? He wants to humiliate me," Kate growled.

Lanie rolled her eyes as the doorbell buzzed.

"Lanie, could you get that please?"

"Alright," she said obediently, standing up and walking to the door. "But you better not be wearing your prom dress when I get back!" she said, jokingly admonishing a finger in Kate's direction.

Kate was in no mood for jokes. She kicked the pile of dresses on her floor in exasperation and turned to her all too empty closet. This was impossible. He was impossible. "Rrrrrgh!" she cried, frustration getting the better of her. She started looking through the rest of her dresses. Too casual, too short, too ugly, too big…

Luckily, at that moment, Lanie re-entered the room. "Who was it?" Kate asked, grateful for a distraction.

"Delivery," Lanie answered, handing Kate a large white box.

Kate was bewildered. "From who?"

Lanie picked up the card with a flourish. "Let's find out!" She opened it and slowly read aloud what was inside. "Bippity boppity boo?"

Kate immediately knew what it meant; it was as if she was expecting it. "Cinderella," she said dryly. "It's from him."

Lanie saw her friend begin to get mad. "Oh please," she said, attempting to lighten her mood, "It's a dress! Now open it up, girlfriend!"

"Oh, I knew he was arrogant, but this?" Kate said maliciously, opening the box with excessive force, "This is complet—"

She was cut off by Lanie's gasp. The dress was now visible. "Oh," Kate managed to say. She was equally as speechless as her friend, but for an entirely different reason. Yes, the dress was absolutely beautiful…but it was red. Like her mother's had been. This was no coincidence. She knew that he was trying to make this special for her. Damnit, Castle! she cursed silently. Be thoughtful or be an ass, just make up your mind already!

----------------------

"How'd you know what 'bippity boppity boo' meant?" Lanie asked, wrapping the cord around the curling iron as Kate put the finishing touches on her makeup.

"A conversation we had a few days ago."

Lanie put a hand on her hip. "Do you two routinely talk about Disney princesses?"

Kate sighed and twisted the cap back onto her mascara. "No. It's a long story."

Lanie gave up. "Alright, I won't ask." She handed Kate her shawl and watched her put it on. "Well, Cinderella, I think you're ready for the ball."

"Oh, I'm so not ready," Kate lamented. She checked her hair in the mirror one last time and attempted to flatten a curl that was sticking out.

"Shut up!" Lanie said, grabbing Kate's hand and pulling it away from her head. "You look fantastic."

"I'm not talking about my looks."

"Trust me, girl, he's as nervous as you are."

"Fat chance."

Lanie stepped behind her and gave her a shove. "Go! Your prince is waiting!"

Kate turned around. "How many times do I have to tell you? He is not a prince!"

Lanie raised her eyebrows and glanced at the dress. "But the boy sure can shop."

"Yeah, you're not lying," Kate said, looking down and smoothing the fabric.

Lanie checked her watch. "If you don't go now, you're gonna be late."

"Okay, I'm going, I'm going," Kate said reluctantly. Lanie followed her out of the bathroom. Kate took a deep breath, opened the front door, and stepped into the hallway. "Wish me luck!"

"You won't need it. Go get 'em! But remember…this Cinderella doesn't have a midnight curfew." Lanie winked and shut the door, leaving Kate standing outside, speechless and open-mouthed.

-----------------------------

"Sorry I couldn't make it an entirely work-free night," Rick said as they were driving back to the precinct. "Having to arrest someone doesn't exactly go along with the whole fairytale thing."

Kate chuckled and glanced at her rearview mirror to see Paul Reynolds slouched in the backseat. "Hey, I like arresting people. It means we're doing something right."

Rick grinned. "As long as you enjoyed yourself!" He turned around to face the suspect. "Thanks, buddy!"

Paul fixed Rick with a bewildered stare; he clearly hadn't been paying attention to their conversation. "Huh?"

Kate rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, half in frustration and half in amusement, but held her tongue. And held in a smile as well.

Moments later, they arrived at the precinct. Kate handed Paul off to Ryan and Esposito to deposit in the interrogation room, grabbed a change of clothes from her desk, and headed to the bathroom to change. It was with a slight twinge of regret and sadness that she began undoing the back of the dress. While she was glad to have a new lead to go on, she really had been enjoying herself, despite the general shallowness of the crowd. The whole night had been like something ripped from somebody else's life, and taking off the dress was almost like erasing any reality it had held. Shimmying out of the dress, Kate managed to bang her elbow on the stall door, and cursed under her breath. Yeah, it really was time to get back to reality.

Kate folded the dress carefully, wondering vaguely how much it would cost to dry clean it. She threw on her change of clothes and stepped out of the stall to catch a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She almost laughed at what she saw; work clothes, black-tie hair. Placing the dress on the ledge of the sink, he ran her hands through her hair a few times to rough it up a little bit. Finally feeling presentable (in a completely different way than she had mere moments ago), she exited the bathroom, leaving the dress there; she'd come back for it later.

Approaching her desk, Kate saw that Rick, Esposito and Ryan were all gathered around it, Rick sitting in her chair.

"—a step up for this guy," Esposito was saying.

"He's just a foot soldier," Kate said, joining the conversation and peering into the case file. "We're looking for his general."

Silence greeted her statement. She looked up to see all three men looking at her.

"Where's the dress?" Rick asked, looking slightly disappointed.

Kate was endlessly amused. "What, you didn't think I was gonna interrogate him in it, did you?" she asked, unable to hold back an incredulous grin.

"We were kind of hoping…" Rick trailed off. She looked at her team, hoping they'd say otherwise, but they too looked rather disappointed.

She rolled her eyes, though she was secretly flattered. "Out of my chair, Castle."

------------------------

"Beckett."

"Girl, when will you greet me with a 'hi'?"

"Sorry, I never know whether or not you're calling for something work related."

"Hmm, let's see. It's the day after you attend a swanky charity event on the arm of a dashing celebrity. Do you think I'm calling about work?"

Kate laughed. "Good point."

"Am I going to have to beat the details out of you?"

"I will pull my gun on you."

Lanie sighed. "I hate having armed friends."

"Oh, stop it!" Kate said, grinning.

"Well, you don't seem particularly surly today…does that mean things went well last night?"

"Yep, we made an arrest!"

"Kate."

"What?" Kate asked innocently.

"You suck."

Kate laughed. "Okay, okay. Yeah, things went really well."

"Was he a good date?"

"Surprisingly so."

"How was the red carpet?"

"One of the most awkward experiences of my life."

Lanie laughed. "Only you would say that about the red carpet."

"Hey, I didn't say it was bad, just that it was awkward. I'm not usually surrounded by paparazzi."

"True, but your man candy is."

"Lanie!"

"Speaking of which, did anything happen?"

"No. He made me dance, though."

Lanie laughed. "He made you?"

"Yeah, under the ruse that it was the only place we could talk and not be overheard."

"Men aren't known for being clever. But really, that's it?"

"That's it. We arrested a guy so we went back to the precinct, it's not like he could walk me to my door."

"Bummer."

"Why are you so invested in this, not that there even is a 'this'?"

"Girl, I just want to see you happy."

"Well, then you'll want to hear about this morning."

"Katie! You said nothing happened!" Lanie shrieked.

"Geez, calm down! It's not like that!"

"Way to go, giving me a freaking heart attack. What is it like, then?"

"Well, I went to his place to give his mother back the necklace she lent me—"

"Wait, his mother lent you a necklace?"

"Yeah."

"So you've got mom's approval already. Go on."

"I won't even dignify that with a response. But anyway, she roped me into staying for breakfast."

"…And?"

"And that's it. I ate breakfast with his family." Kate grinned shyly. "It was actually really fun."

"Aw, good!"

"I haven't been part of a real family in a long time, ya know? It was nice to sort of have that again."

"So, he likes you, you like him, you like his family, and his family likes you. Tell me again…why aren't you two a couple?"

"Because he bothers the crap out of me."

"Ya know, I don't think you're picky enough," Lanie said sarcastically.

"Will it make you feel better if I tell you the guys and I are playing poker with him and his mother tomorrow night?"

Lanie sighed dramatically. "We're getting there."

"Now look who's being picky!"

"Hey, I'm just saying, stop using your brain so much. You do have other organs. Ones that'll give you much more pleasure."

Kate's eyes widened. "Lanie! What the hell?!"

"Oh my god, get your mind out of the gutter! I mean your heart, Katie. Go with what you feel for a change."

Kate was silent for a few seconds. "I feel like you're my pimp."

Lanie laughed. "Nah, just your fairy godmother!"

----------------------------

Lanie sat on the edge of the couch, Kate lying down next to her, with a comforting hand on the back of her devastated friend. Kate had called her as soon as she got home from the hospital. Hearing the pain in her voice, Lanie had rushed over. But she wasn't prepared for what she found. She'd been expecting a crying mess, maybe some screaming and throwing things. What she found instead was a truly broken person. Kate just lay there, tears streaming down her face, but no trace of a sob. It was almost as if she was trying to go numb. After hearing what had happened and uttering her initial words of comfort, Lanie didn't know what else to say. So she simply sat there, a reassuring presence, and waited for Kate to speak, whenever she was ready.

After almost half an hour had gone by, Kate composed herself enough to put her thoughts into words. "It just hurts so much."

"I know, sweetie, I know," Lanie said softly, stroking Kate's hair.

"I mean, how could he do this to me? I hate him!"

A moment passed in silence before Lanie spoke again. "But you still want him?"

"Is that sick?" Kate asked in a quivering voice after a slight hesitation. "He went where I specifically told him not to go and lied to me about it, but I still wish it was him that was comforting me. No offense," she added as an afterthought, smiling very slightly.

Lanie smiled and shook her head. "None taken, and it's not sick. That's how it is when you love someone. And no," she said forcefully when Kate opened her mouth, "you're not getting out of it this time."

"Fine," Kate said grudgingly, wiping her eyes, "But you're never going to get me to admit he's Prince Charming."

"I've given up on that one, don't worry."

"But what do I do now? How can I pretend like nothing happened? How do I trust him again?"

"First off, you don't pretend nothing happened. But you've got to forgive him."

"What, just like that?"

"Do you really think he would've done this to you if he didn't think it would help in the long run?"

"I—but—well…no, I guess not."

"So he deserves some forgiveness. But make him earn your trust back."

Kate nodded absentmindedly.

"Which means," Lanie continued, giving Kate a pointed stare, "That you don't push him away when he tries to. Okay?"

Kate bit her lip sheepishly. "Easier said than done."

"Well, just think; you're closer to catching your mom's killer now!"

"Yeah, about that…" Kate said with a sad sigh, eyes filling with fresh tears.

"Katie," Lanie said. Kate looked at her. "It's been ten years," she said gently. "You're going to have to move on eventually. Your mom wouldn't have wanted you to spend your whole life grieving. Maybe this is a good thing, that he brought it up again. To get you some closure?"

Kate stared morosely at the wall. "What I'm like before I get that closure is what I'm worried about."

"You've got him. He won't let anything happen to you. And neither will I. Or your dad, or Esposito, or Ryan, or the captain…"

Kate chuckled slightly. "Thanks, Lanie," she said quietly.

"Anytime, Cinderella."

"Stop calling me that."

"Aaaaand she's back!"

---------------------------

Against what was probably his better judgment, Kate thought, Rick was at the precinct the next day. She was still extremely hurt by what had happened, and refused to hold herself responsible for anything she might decide to do if her emotions got the better of her.

Seeing him sitting in his usual spot next to her desk, she stopped short. "Pretty brave of you to show up here," she said, a hint of venom in her voice.

Rick sighed sadly. "I know, and I wasn't going to." His eyes met hers. "But since this is all my fault, I have to take it upon myself to make sure you're okay."

Kate grit her teeth and sat down stiffly. "I'm fine."

The Lanie in her head glared at her. So much for not pushing him away. Kate rolled her eyes inwardly. Hey, old habits die hard.

"Come on, I'm not an idiot," Rick said, sounding almost offended. He paused. "Well, no, I am an idiot. But I've seen you get upset just talking about it, and now that I've meddled in it…" He trailed off, and tried again. "I just don't want you having any mental breakdowns."

Kate remained silent.

"Look," Rick said, "I know I screwed up, I know that. But please let me make it up to you."

At that moment, Kate's phone rang. She answered it, reluctantly tearing her eyes from Rick's. "Beckett." She paused. "Okay, I'm on my way." She hung up and, without another word, stood up and headed for the elevator. Rick remained in his seat.

Kate turned around to look at him as she pushed the button for the elevator. "Are you coming or what?"

----------------------------

"We got him."

Kate looked at Rick, standing outside her open door with a look of pure elation on his face, and furrowed her brow. "What?"

"Well, not officially. He hasn't been arrested yet."

Kate's mouth fell open as she realized what he was talking about. She hadn't gone anywhere near her mother's case since it had been reopened, out of fear of what it would do to her. "You've been working on it?"

Rick looked confused and stopped bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Of course! You didn't think I was going to leave it, did you?"

Kate was taken aback. "Um, I don't know. I guess I didn't really think about it."

"Well, Ryan and Esposito deserve some credit too."

"Wait, they helped?"

"In the words of my favorite detective, every off duty moment."

Kate was speechless. "Wow. I don't know what to say."

Rick grinned. "We'd like to give you the honor of arresting him. If you want it."

It was Kate's turn to grin. "Just let me get my cuffs."

-------------------------------

"Matt Fallica, you are under arrest for the murder of Johanna Beckett."

Kate had managed to get herself together for the arrest, forcing herself not to think about what she was doing. But as the words escaped her mouth, as she watched Ryan slam handcuffs on the murderer, she felt her brave façade come crashing down around her ears. She turned slowly on the spot to watch her team drag the man out to their car; she suddenly felt slightly lightheaded. As the reality of the moment hit her, her knees began to give way. She staggered over to the nearest wall and slid down it, placing her face in her hands and resting her forehead against her knees. The pain of her mother's murder, the relief of finally catching the culprit, and a whole bunch of other emotions that she didn't even want to begin figuring out…it had all become too much.

After a few moments, Kate noticed a presence beside her; Rick had joined her on the floor. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He gazed at her imploringly, silently asking if she was okay.

She took a shaky breath. "Sorry. Everything's just really overwhelming."

"Don't apologize. I can't even imagine what you must be feeling right now."

Kate gave him a small smile. "Yeah…well…thanks for being here," she said quietly.

Rick took one of her hands in his, and interlaced their fingers. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

Kate met his gaze and found nothing but honesty in his eyes. She looked away shyly, but only gave the Lanie in her head enough time to glare at her before her eyes found his again. "And I wouldn't want you to be anywhere else."

He smiled, almost hesitant to believe her. "So I've redeemed myself a little bit?"

She sighed dramatically, but couldn't keep the corners of her mouth from twitching upwards. "Yeah, I guess so."

He allowed himself to grin fully now. "Glad to hear it." He lifted their linked hands to his mouth and kissed the back of hers. "Well, m'lady," he said in a fake British accent, "would you care for a spot of dinner?" He raised an eyebrow impishly.

Kate chuckled in amusement. "That would be lovely, as long as you drop that accent right now."

"Whatever makes you happy," Rick said, giving her a genuine smile before starting to stand up.

Kate stilled his movement by placing a hand on his arm. "Ya know," she said softly, "You can be quite charming when you want to be."

His eyes twinkled. "Nah, you just caught me on a bad day." He got to his feet and helped her up, placing a hand on the small of her back as the pair headed towards the elevator.

Kate rolled her eyes to herself at his last comment, biting back a smile. No, he'd never be Prince Charming.

But she was just fine with that.

FIN.