Who I Am When I'm With You
But who I am with you is who I really wanna be. You're so good for me. And when I'm holdin' you, it feels like I've got the world in my hands. Yeah, a better man is who I am with you. Rick Castle met Kate Beckett at a young age. And it was right then and there he knew she was going to be the girl he was going to spend the rest of his life with.
Chapter one: summer
Kate had just moved to New York. She watched as her brothers brushed passed her towards the car. It was the first day of school. She was off to seventh grade and the prospect of starting such a poignant moment of her life in a new school terrified her.
"Katie?" Her father asked. He had the back door opened for her, he offered to take her bag. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah Kate, do you want to cry?" Her 14 year old brother asked.
"Chris…" Jim sighed. "It's a big change for everyone, and we are all entitled to process it anyway we want to, don't pick on your sister." Chris rolled his eyes.
Her brother was such a jerk. Sometimes.
"Don't worry Katie, I'm sure we'll make friends in no time, right daddy?" Her little brother said with a toothy grin.
"Right. See, at least someone is happy." Jim told Chris.
"Dad, he's Kyle. He's always happy." the older boy pushed his little's brother forehead backwards from the front seat.
"And would it kill you to be more like your brother?" Joanna Beckett came out of the house with lunches for her children.
"Why am I the only one being told off? The princess isn't here yet and we're going to be late to our first day of school."
Oh yeah. Her older sister was 17 and a total diva. She had been the one complaining about moving the most, although Kate tied her on a close second. Just then Julia made it out the door. She was all dolled up. Something her father did not approve of. He shared a knowing look with his wife and opened the door for Julia, she pushed Kate aside as she tried to fit her enormous pink bag into the small space of her seat.
"We'll talk about it when you get home today Julia, don't think you are off the hook." Joanna told her daughter. She waved her kids goodbye, sharing a hand wave with Kyle as they went. Kate curled up in her seat between her siblings and thought about what the kids in her school would be like.
She hoped no one would notice her. She was shy, pretty much a mind to her own device and she didn't have that many friends. Her friends were books and the characters she found in them. She had fallen too far from the tree compared to her elder athletic siblings and her outgoing little brother.
What was it that New York had in store for Kate? Only time would tell.
"Rick!" He woke up at the sound of a voice calling his name. "Rick!"
"Huh?" He opened his eyes wide, the light hurting them, the image of his little sister came into his line of vision. "Mom says breakfast is ready!"
His mother made breakfast? No, that wasn't possible. It must have been…
"I'm up, I'm up. " He groaned rolling out of bed as his sister bolted into a run. How was it possible summer was over?
"You better be getting ready already young man." Rick rolled his eyes at the woman in front of him. Sally smiled. "Or that bed will remain unmade for a week and this time I mean it."
"Mother wouldn't let you." Rick scuffed.
"Your mother will be going on tour soon, and she won't even know." The older woman said with a smile.
"Tell me again why I let you threaten me?" He asked Sally as he put on a clean shirt and pants.
"Because I changed your diapers."
Well, she did have a point. But Rick wasn't little anymore. He was 14 and had grown so much over this past summer, his hair was messy and his eyes tired. He shouldn't have stayed playing video games all night with Espo and Ethan, he was about to regret it.
"Good morning Richard." Martha said, she was reading the paper as she took a bite of her toast. "Today is a very exciting day, you're off to 9th grade. How are you feeling?"
"Ecstatic." Rick rolled his eyes at her but a small smile appeared to curve on his lips.
"Well, I for one can't wait to go to first grade, kiddie school is so beyond me." His sister took a dramatic sigh.
"Sorry, but.. have you measured yourself, everyone is above you." He joked, earning a nasty look from his sister. "Plus, first grade is kid's play."
"Duh, I'm a kid." She retorted. "So? It's perfect for me. You on the other hand..."
"Watch your mouth there shorty," Rick told her off. "You better think very carefully about what you're about to say."
"All I'm saying is that you're too much of a boy." Hannah smiled eyeing her mother "Have you heard mama's going on tour? How exciting is that?"
"So I've heard. For how long?"
"About 8 weeks, we're going all across the country." Martha said. "I would have taken you with me but Sally insisted you both be in school more this year, it will be important when you apply for college."
"Who says I'm going?" Rick said quickly.
"You better not have me hear that Richard, it's your future. You'll be brilliant if you put your mind to it."
"Yeah, what about the stories Rick? All my friends at school like your stories, you should do that and become like the lady who wrote Harry Potter."
Richard Rodgers Rowling? It had a nice ring to it. But who was he kidding? He'd never be that good.
"Come on you two, off to the bus. You'll be late." Sally said. "And don't even think about not taking a bite of that toast." She warned Rick. He rolled his eyes, got a hold of his toast and school bag.
"Now where is my kiss?" Martha made Hannah smile as she kissed her goodbye. Rick imitated his sister. "You be good while I'm gone?
"Of course, I'm always the good one, Mom." She eyed her brother. "I'll take care of Rick."
"Yes you will." Martha hugged her little girl again. "Have a good first day sweetheart." Martha turned to the boy hugging him. "I want you to know, I'm counting on you, if this goes well, then I'll have my career set up for a long while. " Rick smiled and nodded. Where had he head that one before?
"Come on Rick!" Hannah called from the door. "Hurry up!"
"Why are you always yelling?" He said trailing behind her.
"Cause you don't listen to me." His sister said.
Rick sighed taking his sister's hand.
How was it possible summer was already over?
Baby Caskett! Next, they meet. Don't worry, I won't abandon my other stories, all of them will be updated during the weekend.
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