Chapter One

The walk up the path is as excruciating as always. She leans on the rail more than she would like, but at least she got further down the woods this time. Slow and steady, she reminds herself. She opens the back door of the cabin, the wood floor squeaking under her boots.

"Morning Katie," her dad greets from the rounded dinner table by the window. He lifts his reading glasses, resting them on the top of his head. "Good walk?" he asks as he takes in the thin layer of sweat and her slightly deep breaths.

"Yeah, new record," she says, grinning back at him.

"Good," he accedes, because they had this conversation too many times already. The one where he tells her to slow down, as if she wasn't slow enough as it is. "Made some breakfast, if you want. It's in the oven."

"Thank you, Dad," she says as she reaches for the bottle of water on the kitchen island. She drinks a few small sips, yet another habit she had to acquire. "I think I'll take a shower first. When will you be heading out?"

He frowns but stays silent for a second as if contemplating what to say, and then he continues softly. "Katie, are you sure you don't want me to stay? I mean work can wait. It really is no big deal and I don't like the thought of you up here alone."

"Dad, we talked about this." She takes a breath, trying not to let irritation seep into her tone. "I don't want to hold you up more than I already have. Besides, I'm stronger now, it's just time to recover from here on out." He looks just as convinced as when they first discussed this. "I'll take it easy. I promise."

He sighs. "I was thinking late afternoon."

Her shoulders relax a little. "Lunch together before you go then?"

"Sure."

She smiles softly before she trails towards the bathroom to shower.

"Paula, I'm not doing another one out of the states, we talked about this. I already did the UK and Australia. Isn't that enough?" he asks, resting his elbows on the arms of the leather chair in his office, his agent looming over him.

"You know it is not, Rick. We are already behind schedule on the publicity for this one due to recent events." She lifts her hands in surrender when he glares at her.

"Look, I know you guys are doing your best. Just set up something local and I'll do it. I'm not leaving, Paula, figure it out," he says calmly, resolutely.

Paula looks him over, the way his shoulders slump, no more quips, no more smartass comments coming from him. She gives in, "Okay, Rick." She grabs her purse off his desk, "Black Pawn is not going to like this. I'd expect a call from Gina if I were you."

"I'll handle Gina."

"Okay, let me know if you change your mind." And with that she leaves his office and he breathes out a sigh when he hears the front door closing after her.

He sits there for a few minutes, staring at the folder sprawled out on his desk. He and the boys managed to get exactly zero leads and he wasn't able to make any headway on his own either. Everything was a dead end. She would be so disappointed.

He is so mad at her, so mad. The way she just pushed him aside. Leaving him fishing for updates on her from the boys and Lanie. So much for being partners. It's been weeks of silence and she never leaves his thoughts. Sometimes it feels like meeting her was a curse. For both of them.

The soft knock on his office door startles him. "Hey, Dad, was that Paula?"

"Hey honey," he responds, smiling at his daughter. God, he doesn't even know what kind of a mess he would be in if it wasn't for her keeping him grounded, giving him purpose. "Yeah, she wanted to talk about press for Heat Rises."

Alexis takes a seat in the leather chair next to his, lifting her feet into the couch and hugging her knees. "Going on tour?" she asks without being able to keep the hope out of her voice.

"No. Not out of the country at least. I-" he looks away to the shelves for a second, "I just think the timing isn't right for that kind of thing."

She is pressing her lips tightly in annoyance, a move he ironically thinks she picked up from Beckett. "Are you sure, Dad? It might be a good thing…"

He twists in his chair a little towards her. "Alexis, I can't leave now." He leaves it at that, hoping his daughter won't push, that they won't have a repeat of the conversation they had after his last, his only, visit to Kate in the hospital. The one where she outlined the irresponsibility of his actions, both as a person and a parent.

She shakes her head at his avoidance. "She hasn't even called." The words spill out cold.

He takes a breath before calmly replying, "That's not the point, honey. Look-" he pauses to turn fully to face her in his chair, "Yes, I was irresponsible in poking into her mother's case. I never thought it would get to this and if I could, I would take it back. You know I would." He tries to hold her gaze to make her see that this is not the way he intended to do things. He was way in over his head.

"But you did," she concedes.

He nods, "But I did, and I can't walk away now. Not after the mess I have led her through. I can't let her do this alone, after I assured her that I would do this with her, all the way. I'm so sorry about where this leaves us. All of us."

She looks at him for the longest moment, and then finally sighs with assent. That is all she is willing to give to this entire thing. "I hope she is worth it, Dad." She stands and kisses his cheek.

He doesn't reply, doesn't feel like defending her. He knows better, when all the evidence is piling against it.

She watches her dad walk across the small path up to the cabin, a little winded. She is sitting on the bench against the side of the cabin fiddling with a blade of grass.

"Alright, all packed up." He smiles at her in the way that he did when she was a little girl, wrinkles on the side of his eyes, definitely more defined now. She grins in reply and stands up. "I'll be back on the weekend but, Katie, if you need anything call me, okay?"

She rolls her eyes, saying, "Okay, Dad."

He chuckles and says back to her, "It's been a while since I've seen that eye roll."

She laughs at that, "What no 'Don't roll your eyes at me young lady'?"

He smiles wide at that and presses a kiss to her forehead. "Take it slow, Kate."

"I will. Thanks, Dad."

He lingers for a minute and she can tell he wants to say something, already knowing what's coming. "Call him. He deserves better," he says bluntly, and before she has a chance to argue he picks up his jacket from the bench, squeezes her forearm and turns to leave.

She stands there, hearing the car door open and close, the car's engine waking up and then the sound of the gravel under the wheels. She waits until the quiet of the trees is all she can hear before she heads back inside. She closes the door behind her and stares at the empty space, her eyes landing on her phone on the kitchen island, where she left it after calling Lanie. She stares at it for a moment before she steps towards it, picking it up and shoving it in one of the kitchen drawers.

There. That's done with.

She picks up her book from the coffee table and heads towards the back door to read while it's still light outside. Sitting on the swing chair, she tucks her feet under her. Before opening the book, she flips it over and looks at his picture. She shakes her head at her own behavior, shoving the phone in a drawer to stop herself from calling him, but here she is, reading his book. Not the Nikki Heat ones though.

It's one of his old books. He looks so young in the picture on the back of the book jacket, so serious and distinguished, the way she used to think of him when she first started reading his books. But now that she does know him, she can see the mischief in his eyes in that same picture.

"Don't leave me, Kate, okay? I love you." His words run through her mind and every time she replays them, she feels her heart ache. She tilts her head back and closes her eyes. The squeak of the chair as it swings slowly back and forth is the only sound until she whispers, "Love you too, Castle."

AN: Thank you all for reading, would love to hear your thoughts and promise to post the second chapter soon ^_^