A/N: Inspired by a prompt found on the castlefanficprompts page on tumblr:
'AU, where Kate is a zookeeper (bonus point: if, specifically, she is in charge of Elephants) and she gets to know Rick and five-year-old Alexis because they go to the zoo almost every week.'
Happy Birthday, Alex!
The first time she notices the kind looking father and the little girl with the fiery red hair is on a scorching day in the summertime. She had been hosing down Bailey, one of their younger elephants, when the little girl had pointed from her father's shoulder, her blue eyes wide in awe beneath the shade of her cap.
The two of them had ventured closer, the little girl hopping down from her father's shoulders to trot up to the fencing, her pink lips in a round 'o' shape as she watched Kate provide the elephants with some relief from the sun.
Zookeeping hadn't been the job she had set out to do in life. Kate had always loved animals, favored the elephants her mother had adored for as long as Kate could remember, but she had intended to become a lawyer. Not an elephant trainer.
It was her mom's fault really.
"That one seems to love you, Katie," Johanna Beckett had pointed out one afternoon. It had been one of their final visits as a family to the local zoo and Kate had glanced over her shoulder to find a younger elephant straying from its mother's side to examine her, its trunk flailing up and down in what Kate perceived as excitement. "Bet you'd be a natural with them."
"You want Katie to be a zookeeper?" Jim had chuckled from his wife's side, the two of them grinning at her from the nearby bench.
"It would definitely make the visits here more interesting," her mother had shrugged while both Kate and her father had rolled their eyes.
The idea had intrigued her of course, in a silly, daydreaming sort of way. After years of visiting the zoo with her parents, lingering along the walls of her favorite exhibit, her mom's laughter in the air and her dad's smile cracking at the seams of his mouth, it had been a fun thought to toy with.
But after her mother's death, after her father's dark descent into the bottle, the need for something light, something that wasn't stained in grief had become her lifeline. She would still follow in her mother's footsteps, stride into the world of law and seek the justice she lacked, but the compromise to dedicate at least a few years of her time to a different passion had provided her with a lifejacket amidst the sea of mourning before it could consume her.
The attention had coaxed Bailey towards the wall of her exhibit and Kate had grinned at the little girl's bubbling excitement, how she had tugged her father in closer and beamed at the approaching elephant. The toothy smile was contagious, spreading to her father, quirking Kate's lips upwards as well, and it wasn't time for one of the elephant behavioral presentations, but she followed Bailey anyway, waved her hand where the elephant could see and watched the bright eyed girl clap in delight when Bailey waved back.
"They know tricks?" the man had called to her while Kate tossed Bailey a peanut in reward.
"A few," Kate had nodded, stepping past the elephant, up to the fencing of the enclosure that separated her and the elephants from the zoo guests. She wasn't necessarily supposed to be chatting with the guests, but the day was coming to a close and she knew her boss was in the aviary at the moment. "We don't focus too much on that though. Never want the animals to feel like it's a circus here."
"Of course not," he concurs with an understanding nod, but the soft smile hasn't left his face and his eyes fail to leave her. "This one seems to enjoy entertaining though."
Kate smirks as Bailey swings her trunk side to side, visibly excited by the little girl gazing back at her with wonder.
"Yeah, she's probably our most playful," Beckett chuckles, patting Bailey's trunk when it swings towards her. "And she loves the attention."
"Can we know the elephant's name?" the little girl asks, staring up at Kate with a polite smile.
"Sure, this is Bailey," Kate introduces, chuckling when Bailey's trunk extends forward to nudge Kate's hip. "She's five years old."
"I'm five!" the little girl announces, bouncing on her toes.
"Also known as Alexis," the man chimes in with a grin, reaching down to brush the fringe of his daughter's bangs back from her eyes. "And I'm Rick. Nice to meet you."
"Kate, and likewise. I wish I could talk with you guys longer, but I-"
"Will you be here tomorrow?" Rick inquires, his brow lifting and his eyes glimmering in the fading summer sunlight. "And by chance, do you do personal tours?"
"That'd be something you'd have to take up with my boss," Beckett returns, narrowing her eyes on him through the fencing. "I'm just the elephant keeper."
"You have the coolest job, Miss Kate!" Alexis quips.
"Thank you, Alexis," Kate smiles back, stepping away from the bounds of the enclosure, prepared to set out the animals' afternoon meal. "I should get back to it. Again, it was nice meeting you both-"
"Wait, Kate?" Beckett slows but doesn't stop at Rick's call, arching an eyebrow at him in question. "Would it be alright if we came by again tomorrow?"
She isn't sure what has Rick so determined to return. Alexis has openly enjoyed her time at the elephant exhibit, but it's her father who seems intent on seeing them again, seeing her again, more specifically. And she wouldn't deny that Rick is handsome, a charming man dedicated to his daughter, and she's noticed the lack of a ring on his finger, but she's in no place for a relationship.
"You're welcome to stop by whenever you like. Just like any other zoo guest," Kate answers, waving again and grinning when Bailey joins in. "Bye Rick, Alexis."
"Bye Kate, bye Bailey!" Alexis calls back, reaching for her father's hand and leading him onwards.
Kate turns her back on the retreating father daughter duo, but she can feel Rick's eyes on her, that stupid smile that had made her heart flutter for a second too long, until the two of them are out of sight.
Richard Castle and his daughter continue to show up at her exhibit, and despite herself, Kate always has a smile ready for them. Alexis takes to sitting with her father on the closest bench, exchanging waves with Bailey and the other elephants who begin to notice their frequent reappearances.
"Looks like you have a couple of fans," Drew, the keeper of the giraffes had teased her one day while she'd been giving the elephants a bath one morning. "That writer and his kid are pretty loyal, Beckett. Been showing up four times a week for the last month. For you, apparently."
"Alexis likes the elephants," Kate had deflected from atop the ladder she was balancing on, cleaning some caked on mud from Happy the elephant's back. "I'm sure they'll find a new hobby sooner or later."
Even if the idea of that reality had something inside her stomach twisting painfully.
"Keep telling yourself that, Elephant Whisperer," Drew had scoffed at her. "Because it sure doesn't look that way right now."
Kate had followed the tilt of Drew's head to see a flash of red hair approaching. She waited until her colleague had returned to his tending of the giraffes to let the smile bloom across her lips.
The two had eventually learned her schedule, knowing when her lunch break is approaching, and she huffs her amusement when the Castles show up that afternoon with lunch for three.
"Daddy's been doing research here for his latest book," Alexis explains between bites of her turkey sandwich once Kate has joined them, given the little girl a hug and shooting Castle the grin she's taken to reserving for him while he passed her a sandwich. "He's writing about a murder in the zoo!"
"Oh really?" Kate inquires, meeting Castle's eyes from across the picnic table. "And here I thought you were just here to see the elephants."
"Well, I was. Until their keeper inspired me to change the course of my book entirely." Rick shrugs, a small smile dancing along his lips. "And it's really a win-win. I come here every week for research, Alexis gets to see the zoo as much as she wants, and we get to see you too."
"That's Daddy's favorite part," Alexis adds, hiding her grin behind her sandwich while Rick's lips part in surprise and Kate's cheeks go warm.
Beckett folds the remainder of her sandwich into the wrapping from the zoo cafe it came from, casting her gaze back over her shoulder to the elephants basking in the pool of their habitat. She still had fifteen minutes before she had to return to work, but perhaps spending the last portion of her lunch hour in solitude was best.
"Kate."
She glances back to see Castle watching her, his eyes a deep shade of blue, serious as they hold her gaze, but she can't - can't have this kind of conversation now, definitely not in front of his kid.
"Well, I should probably head back in. Get a head start on training for the day," Kate murmurs, standing from the picnic table and gathering what little trash had accumulated from her meal. "Thank you both for lunch."
Alexis reaches out to hook an arm around Kate's waist, giving her a quick but fierce hug that takes Kate by surprise. Again. "Bye Kate. See you later."
Kate gives Alexis's shoulders a brief squeeze before the girl releases her and returns to her lunch. "See you soon, Alexis. Bye Rick."
She turns without sparing a look towards Castle, but can hear him rising from the table nonetheless, murmuring something to Alexis before trotting up behind her, touching her arm with tentative fingers that request her attention.
Warily, Kate slows to a stop, lets him step in front of her with a sheepish smile on his face.
"Listen, I know that kinda spooked you-"
"I'm not one of the animals, Rick. I don't get spooked," she mutters, suppressing her amusement at the panic that spreads in his eyes.
"I wasn't attempting to say you were an animal, Kate-"
"I know," she sighs, waving him off with her hand. "What are you trying to say?"
Castle straightens, setting his shoulders back and staring down at her with a sudden surge of determination rippling through his gaze, brightening the pools of cerulean with bravery that she doesn't understand.
"Alexis wasn't wrong," he states, a hint of a smile sparking in the corners of his mouth. "I have to admit, I've been smitten with you since you had an elephant wave at my kid."
Kate purses her lips, but he coaxes the chuckle out of her when his smile stretches wider.
"And I know that maybe it's been a bit much, showing up here so often in the last month, but over the last couple of years… I can't remember the last time my daughter smiled this much, the last time she actually had something to look forward to," Rick explains, diverting his eyes to the pavement at their feet. "It's been awhile for both of us, actually, so thank you for letting us stalk you and your elephants and bring you the occasional meal."
Kate hums her laughter, allows him to feel a piece of it against his cheek when she leans in to brush the briefest of kisses to his skin.
"I'm pretty fond of you guys too," she murmurs, pulling back to find Rick staring at her in slack jawed surprise, his eyes illuminated with wonder.
She doesn't say it, but the Castles have become a bright spot to her days, something good for her to look forward to, something that rushed through the dark, hollowed out spaces inside of her that the joy of her job couldn't fulfill or cast light upon.
She hadn't planned to allow the man with the kind blue eyes and the girl with the fiery red hair to become important to her, but they had, and now… she didn't want to give them up.
"So, tomorrow?" Rick inquires softly, that awestruck look still in his eyes, and Kate nods, bites her bottom lip to conceal the stupid smile threatening to break free.
"Tomorrow."
The summer comes to a close a week later and school soon begins, and the Castles' trips to the zoo steadily become less frequent (though, that doesn't stop Castle from showing up on his own during the day and bringing Alexis by in the afternoons), but the zoo was still Alexis's favorite place to spend her free time and her jungle themed birthday party was scheduled for the following Saturday morning.
In the meantime, Kate had an early surprise.
Alexis's birthdate falls on a Thursday night, just a couple of days before her party, and they show up after hours per Kate's request, meeting her at the entrance and following her down the familiar path to the elephant's exhibit.
Alexis walks between Kate and her father, swinging both of their hands while Beckett leads them towards the private entryway to the enclosure, sneaking a peek at Alexis as her eyes begin to widen with understanding. She had checked with her manager earlier in the week and ran the idea by Rick during their nightly phone call last night, and now, she was leading them into the largest exhibit in the entire zoo.
"We're going inside?" Alexis gasps once Kate withdraws her hand to guide the two of them inside the fenced enclosure. The elephants are spread throughout the habitat, settling in for the approaching nightfall, but she can already see Bailey nearby, waiting.
"Happy Birthday," Kate chuckles, watching Alexis step foot inside the exhibit, looking around as if she's seeing the familiar setting for the first time.
Alexis spins in the dirt to throw her arms around Kate's waist, giggling into her stomach while Castle chuckles from behind her.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Alexis squeals quietly, turning her head at the echoing footsteps of an approaching elephant. "Oh, will I get to pet Bailey, Kate?"
"You will," Beckett confirms, withdrawing the bag of peanuts from her pocket. "Just remember everything I've taught you, okay?"
Alexis nods as Bailey draws closer, lifting her trunk in greeting, and Kate reaches out once the elephant is near enough, brushes her hand along the elephant's leathery skin, encouraging Alexis to do the same.
"She's so soft," Alexis coos, grazing her hand along the head of Bailey's trunk. "And wrinkly. You should pet her too, Daddy."
Rick glances to Kate for confirmation, drifting in closer to touch his palm to the spot Kate's hand had rested, his own smile of fascination claiming his lips.
"Want to feed her a couple of peanuts?" Kate murmurs to Alexis, handing her one at the girl's excited nodding, guiding her hand towards Bailey's rising trunk, allowing the elephant to retrieve the treat from her fingers.
Castle and Alexis take turns feeding Bailey peanuts, sharing some of the snacks with two other elephants who come to join the gathering, until the sky grows dark and Kate decides it's enough excitement for the elephants before bed.
"That was amazing!" Alexis exclaims once they've exited the enclosure and Kate's locking up the main gate. "This is the best birthday ever!"
Kate chuckles as Alexis skips on ahead of them, her red hair rioting around her, her enthusiastic energy catching, eliciting excited crows from the nearby aviary, some calls of curiosity from the primates. She waves to her colleagues while she walks with Rick and Alexis towards the zoo's exit, feeling for once more like a guest than an employee.
She would be working during Alexis's birthday this weekend, and despite the fact that she would see the two of them during Alexis's party on the zoo grounds, she had spent her day off with the Castles, meeting with Rick for lunch and joining him to retrieve Alexis from school, driving them here for their meeting with the elephants.
"You've been quiet," she murmurs, matching Rick's pace a few steps behind Alexis's giddy trot and nudging his shoulder with a gentle bump.
Castle reaches between them to twine his fingers with hers, and Kate glances down to see the knot of their digits, the kiss of their palms, but does nothing to stop him. It's become a habit between them, an innocent touch she relishes every time.
"I'm just… savoring a perfect night," he explains, traveling the path of her knuckles with his thumb. "Thank you again for everything."
"Least I could do," she replies, nodding to Andy the gatekeeper as they pass through the main exit, into the parking lot.
"Are you coming to dinner with us? I'm making all of Alexis's favorites."
"Oh, Kate, you have to come!" Alexis chimes in over her shoulder. "It's my birthday dinner!"
"There will also be ice cream," Rick adds with a waggle of his brow.
"Looks like I have no choice," Beckett chuckles, strolling with the Castles back to her car.
"You always have a choice, I'm just glad you keep choosing us," Rick grins, and he doesn't yet know everything, only bits and pieces of the tragic backstory she hates to share, but whether he realized it or not, he was right.
She had often chose spending time with Rick and his daughter over going home after a long day of work to her empty apartment, dwelling on the necessary requirements of entering the police academy, the impending battle that she would fight to find justice for her mother, the darkness of grief and loneliness that loved to embrace her at night.
She would miss her mom every single day, missed her father too even though he was still alive, only a call away yet still so unreachable, but having Rick and Alexis in her life… they didn't fill the void her mother had left, but they often soothed the raw, jagged edges of that hole in her heart.
Kate squeezes his hand. "It's an easy choice."
"Hey," Beckett greets, frowning at the sight of him all alone at their usual picnic table only a few days later. Today had been a slow day, the chill of fall scaring away most of the guests, the responsibilities of a weekday keeping the crowds at bay, and she had been looking forward to see him all day. But he had failed to show until now. "Where's Alexis?"
"Her mother is visiting," Rick sighs, true sorrow in his eyes as he stares out towards the African Plains exhibit now void of tourists and zoo guests.
The zoo had closed for the evening, but the staff had been allowing him in after hours for the past month. The sun was dipping below the horizon, bathing the zoo in twilight, and Kate curves her palm over Rick's shoulder, gives the rounded bone a squeeze.
"It's just for the day, but Meredith isn't… I just want Alexis to be happy," he explains, lowering his eyes to his knotted hands on the table before mustering a strained smile for her. "But she'll be home by tonight. I'm just being paranoid."
"You're being a good parent," Kate corrects, dropping her hand from Rick's shoulder. "Alexis is lucky to have a dad who cares so much, to have the kind of father she deserves. And you have every right to be nervous about her spending her day with a mother who doesn't hold a candle to you."
He musters a smile for her at that, thin and wavering, but strung upon his lips by genuine gratitude. Throughout the last few months, Rick has mentioned in passing the kind of mother Meredith has been to Alexis. She doesn't blame him for worrying about his daughter being alone with the woman.
"How long until Alexis is back?"
Rick checks his watch. "About three hours."
"Want to take your mind off of worrying for at least one of those?"
He quirks his eyebrow in intrigue and Kate holds out her hand to him, draws him up from the picnic table. Her shift ended fifteen minutes ago, but Kate guides him through the zoo pathways, away from their usual hangout near the elephants, across the park to the large greenhouse of gardens.
"Taking me through the butterfly gardens? Kate Beckett, if I didn't know any better, I would say this felt like a date," Rick gasps, bumping her shoulder as they enter the greenhouse overflowing with slim trees, vibrant flowers, and sprawling greenery.
On a regular day, the garden is active with guests examining the hordes of butterflies, but tonight, the place is empty, silent and serene.
"Not a bad place for a first date," Kate muses, chewing on her bottom lip as she awaits Castle's response to a declaration that could change everything.
Rick had become her best friend over the last few months, and while there was an obvious connection between them, one that felt deeper than friendship, the thought of ruining what they had terrified her.
"I'm lucky to be dating a woman with such connections."
She laughs in relief and meanders deeper into gardens with him, traveling in silence until they reach the pond of koi fish. Butterflies flutter awake as they pass, whispering between them, weaving through the flowers and along the water of the pond.
"When I first started working here, this sort of became a safe place for me," Kate murmurs, watching the fish in the pond, flashes of gold and orange in the dim lighting of the moon overhead. "It's hard not to feel peaceful. And it helped, to have a place like this to retreat to no matter how difficult things became."
Castle finds her hand in the darkness. "Thanks for sharing it with me. It's a great place for an unplanned first date."
"Next time we'll go somewhere off zoo grounds. And I'll wear something other than my uniform."
"I don't know," he muses, raking his eyes along her body. "You're the only woman I know who could make khakis sexy."
Kate huffs, wills the curtain of her hair to fall forward and hide the heat of her cheeks even as Rick laughs at her for it, reels her in by the link of their hands and wraps an arm around her waist. He's held her before, in brief hugs or moments spent on his couch with Alexis watching a movie, but this… this felt different as his eyes fall to her lips and her fingers climb to curl at his neck.
It hadn't been her intention to seduce him while he worried over his daughter, but the way he was looking at her, with tenderness shimmering in his gaze and reflecting the yearning she felt strong in her chest in the darkening blues of his eyes had her questioning why it would be a bad idea to kiss him right now.
"Is this okay?" he mumbles, his nose nudging against hers as he leans in closer, the warmth of his breath cascading across her lips, igniting heat through her blood.
Kate nods and tilts further into him when his hand rises to cradle her cheek, caressing the slash of bone with his thumb before his lips brush over hers, eliciting flickers of electricity, sending sparks through her veins when he finally seals his mouth over hers, kisses her properly.
And instead of panicking, worrying over how this could change everything, Kate rises into his kiss, participates in the slow dance of their lips with ardency, and embraces whatever changes this step forward may bring. As long as she's allowed to keep kissing him, she decides any necessary adjustments will be worth it.
As long as she gets to keep both him and Alexis in her life, it's all worth it.
"Better than okay."