Author's Note: Spoilers for Lucky Stiff. I wrote this just after the episode aired, but I didn't have a fanfic account at the time. Arafel convinced me I should go ahead and post it now that I do. I hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. This is just a hobby for me.
"Hey, Dad," Kate said as soon as the door opened.
Jim Beckett's face lit up. "Katie!" He pulled his daughter into a hug. "What a surprise! Come in!" He gently pulled her in to the house.
"I'm sorry I didn't call first…" She started to apologize but her dad was already shaking his head.
"I've told you before – you can come by anytime."
They went into the living room. Jim watched Kate pace and knew something was on her mind. Wanting to put her at ease, he spoke up. "Sit down, take your coat off. I'll make some coffee and you can tell what's been going on with you."
He stepped into the kitchen, and was unsurprised when Kate followed him in and leaned on the counter, watching as he measured and poured. As the coffee brewed and the rich aroma filled the air, the two moved back into the living room. Kate shrugged out of her coat and draped it over the back of the couch before finally sitting down.
Jim took a seat in his favorite recliner. "So what brings you by, Katie?"
Kate's mouth opened and closed a few times before her brow furrowed in frustration. Jim smothered a grin at seeing his headstrong daughter at a loss for words. There was only one reason he could think of and he didn't hesitate to ask.
"Is it a man?"
Kate's gaze shot to his and in them, Jim read the truth. It was a man, but it was more than that. Much more. Jim tried not to shift uncomfortably at the seriousness in her eyes. Whatever this was, it was much more than a man tying up her feelings in knots.
Kate finally screwed up her courage. "It's Castle. He's done something-"
The coffeepot beeped before she could finish and Jim practically leapt up at the opportunity to delay the conversation. He took his time as he poured two cups and fixed Kate's the way she liked it before returning to the room and setting hers down on the coffee table. He took his seat again and sipped slowly. Taking a deep breath, he steeled his nerves and studied Kate who was also sipping her coffee and avoiding his gaze.
"So what did Castle do this time?" he asked, trying to inject a bit of levity into the room.
She deliberately set her cup down. Kate decided to jump right in. "He's setting up a scholarship in Mom's name. I hope you're okay with that."
Jim sat in stunned silence. After a few moments, he managed to ask, "He's what?"
"This last case we were on, the victim had won the lottery, and Castle kept asking me what I would do. Finally, he showed up at my place with this idea. He talked to the college about it already and he's arranging a fundraiser. But if you're not okay with it, or if it's too much for you to handle, I'll head him off somehow." When he didn't immediately reply, she got nervous. She bit her lip, but kept silent.
He wondered if she realized just how telling her reaction was. He could tell this was important to her. He sat back in his recliner, took another sip of his coffee and contemplated his daughter. He knew that after Johanna died, Kate had suffered greatly, and for years couldn't even handle speaking about her. But over the past couple of years, he had begun to see glimpses of his little girl again. Right around the time the name Castle had started making appearances in her conversations.
He could tell she was worried about what he would say, and to stall for time, he simply said "Tell me more about it."
While she talked about it, Jim thought about the changes he was observing in Kate. After her mother died, Kate had closed herself off. She had become more serious, more focused, more … inaccessible, for lack of a better word. He knew most people would say that she had built a wall around herself, and they wouldn't be wrong. But those same people would also say that she just needed someone to knock down those walls, and that couldn't be further from the truth. His daughter had always been stubborn, and he knew that if anyone was that obtuse and tried it, she would kick them out of her life faster than he could say "Go."
What she needed was someone to put a few chinks in that wall, then stand back and let her tear it down herself while he caught the pieces as they fell. And from listening to Kate talk, it seemed that Castle was the one who was doing that for her. Whenever she said his name, her eyes sparked – amusement, anger, frustration, tolerance. Whatever it was, at least she was responding again.
Decision made, he leaned forward and Kate cut herself off in mid-sentence.
"I'd like to meet Castle. Bring him by so I can talk to him about this."