It was this day of the year again.

Ninth of January. Another year gone by.

Kate had planned on taking flowers with her, but again she just couldn't bring herself to actually go to the market to get them. Now she was walking the way to her mother's grave with her hands in her pockets instead.

That's when she spotted the small greenhouse in the middle of New York. She couldn't remember it being here last year, so she stepped closer to take a look.

Daffodils. White Daffodils. Her mother's favorite flowers were just standing there. She bit her lip in thought. The owner surely wouldn't miss two or three, now would they?

She tested the door. Unlocked. Now that was just a stroke of luck, right?

After a quick peek to both sides, Kate entered once she was sure no one was in sight. With a soft snap, her pocket knife opened up, and seconds later, the greenhouse was missing three Daffodils.

She just turned to leave when she heard a door creak behind her. Her head snapped around fast enough to almost give her whiplash. A man in his late twenties or early thirties was standing in the door of the garden shack, sporting an amused smile, much to her confusion.

"I-I'm so sorry, sir! It was really an-"

"I suppose it's for someone special, isn't it?"

Wait, what? "Wait, what?"

He motioned to the flowers in her hand, completely ignoring her deer-in-headlights expression. "The flowers in your hand, they are for someone special?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Y-yeah. They are."

"Well, come on, I'll accompany you."

"Come again?" She didn't trust her ears.

"I'll go with you! If you committed B&E and burglary for them, I better make sure you use them for someone worthy."

It wasn't like she had a choice, really. As he so nonchalantly pointed out, she had committed those crimes. What had she been thinking?! She pushed that thought back for the moment and only nodded in silent agreement. She only hoped he wasn't some creep trying to take advantage of her predicament, but she didn't receive any of those vibes from this guy.

The man ushered her out with an easy smile on his lips and locked the door behind him.

"So, what's your name?" he asked.

"I'm Kate." She had briefly considered lying, but if he wanted her contact info to tell the police later, so be it. She was guilty, and she would stand up for her crimes.

"Suits you," he murmured softly. "I'm Rick, by the way," he added, louder.

Rick... the name rang a bell in the depths of her brain, but she was in no state of mind to actually think about that right now. Not on the anniversary of her mother's death, and not being caught red-handed (figuratively).

He laid his arm on hers, motioning for her to stop, which she acquiesced. Only then did she realize they stopped right by a coffee cart.

"I haven't had my caffeine fix yet this morning, so may I interest you in a cuppa coffee?" Rick asked.

"I thought you'd never ask," she shot back. Every once in a while, her mouth was faster than her brain. This was one of those moments.

Castle acknowledged her slip with a grin and began a lively discussion with the barista about coffee. They seemed quite familiar, although from what Kate could discern, it was a coincidence that the cart was here today; silently, she thanked the gods of coffee that the barista mixed up his schedules, because she could definitely use the little pick-me-up. She didn't want to take advantage of Rick's generosity, but for coffee, she could make an exception.

"So, what would you like?" Rick asked.

"Just plain black, please," she replied distractedly; she barely caught the short moment where his face fell a little, so she hurried to add, "but you know what? Why don't you surprise me instead?" with what she thought was a hopefully rather convincing smile. "It seems I'm living on the edge today."

The change in Rick was instant. His face lit up with joy, like a child who snuck a peek at his birthday presents the day before. She wasn't sure what to make of the spark of mischief flaring up in his eyes, but she decided to ignore it for the moment.

"One grande skim latte with two pumps sugar-free vanilla, coming up!"

"Really?" Kate asked with raised eyebrows. She didn't sound convinced. She wasn't. "That sounds almost as bad as pumpkin spice latte, Rick."

The mischief twinkled again when he faced her. "Oh, but on the contrary. This is the biggest revolution for mankind since the landing on the moon, in case it really happened, or the first typewriter."

Kate let out a small snort. "You praising it like this doesn't exactly make it more convincing, you know."

"You wound me, woman!" he exclaimed, theatrically clutching his chest. "Right here!"

Upon seeing Kate's nonplussed expression, he gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry. My mother is an actress, it runs in the family."

Again, she felt as if that piece of information should mean something to her, but it slipped through her grasp. She was a little frustrated with that. That all vanished when he held the divine fluid under her nose and its scent overwhelmed her nostrils.

Closing her eyes, she took a big gulp, not caring about the temperature. Rick hadn't exaggerated. This was coffee heaven.

She hummed softly at the taste, still refusing to open her eyes, out of fear that it would all end far too soon. "Wow; this is delicious, Rick. The only thing missing to perfection is-"

"- a bear claw?" he asked. She snapped open her eyes to the sight of a smirking Rick who held out a still warm piece of pastry. Even the barista had to hide a smile behind his hand.

Kate narrowed her eyes at him. She knew she had to twist the dynamics a bit. So she did the first thing that came to her mind.

She bit into it without bothering to take it out of his hand, and wiped her lips with her finger before licking it clean. She let out a soft giggle once she realized that she seemed to have broken him with that stunt.

That in turn seemed to break him out of his reverie, and his glassy eyes returned to their usual state.

"Evil tease," he grumbled, but apparently in good sport. She didn't bother to comment on that. Mainly because he had a point. She had had a good inkling what this would do to him.

"Worth it," she quipped. "Very tasty."

Rick gave her a pout. "Say, that's awfully flirty for someone on her way to her boyfriend."

And with that, the light mood was gone. She let out a sigh. "Nope. Not a boyfriend."

His eyebrows rose. "Husband?"

"Wrong again."

Now his eyes narrowed. "... Girlfriend?"

She rolled her eyes at him. Men. "Sorry to crush your dreams, but no. Well, there was this one time, in college..." she added as an afterthought, tapping her chin.

He shook his head. "E-vil, I say. Now where are we going?"

Another sigh. She didn't want this to end; she was having a good time - more fun than she had on this day for years. She wasn't ready to admit they were going to see her mother's grave. "We'll see. Come on, Rick."

"Say, what made you build a greenhouse in the middle of New York City?"

That question brought a wide smile to Rick's face. "My daughter loves plants and flowers. We tend to the greenhouse together." Apparently he thought this was explanation enough, and somehow, it was for Kate.

"How old is she?"

"She turned eight last year."

"I see; so you want to teach her responsibility? Caring for the plants does seem like a more sensible choice than a puppy," she admitted with a nod, only to have Rick break out in laughter.

"What is it?", she asked, a slight note of irritation sneaking into her tone.

"You're not that far off, but actually, it's more the other way around," he explained, wiping a tear of laughter out of his eye. "I'm a grandmaster of procrastination, and if it weren't for Alexis, those plants would've died a long time ago. She always drags me down there; I swear, she is way too old for her age. I wonder where she gets that from. Not from me, that's for sure."

Now it was her time to raise her eyebrows. "And what does her mother say to all of this?"

He gave her an easy shrug. "Probably nothing. She's at the west coast. She decided her career was more important than our daughter... or our marriage vows. I caught her with her director, after which she took off to Malibu and served me the divorce papers."

Kate winced. "Ouch."

"You could say that again," he snorted. Then he clapped his hands together. "Well, anyway, are we there yet?"

She rolled her eyes at his antics. "Almost." They rounded a last corner, causing Rick to miss a step and almost stumble. "The cemetery? Kind of an odd place to meet, don't you think?"

"Depends on who you're meeting, doesn't it?" she retorted with a tight-lipped smile. The day had taken such a curiously positive turn, but that was about to end. She stopped in front of the gate and stared down at the flowers in her hand. "These flowers... they're for my mother. She died exactly three years ago, and these were her favorite flowers. Thank you for letting me keep them; it was a nice gesture."

Rick's child-like behavior evaporated in a matter of seconds. "Would you mind if I accompanied you?"

"Why would you do that?" she asked, surprised. She honestly couldn't think of a single reason.

"I promised to make sure the person those flowers are for is worth it," he told her with a sad smile. "and even though I might not seem like the most dependable guy, I always keep my promises."

Suddenly the cold seemed to bite a little less. He had already made the day less dreary. Maybe he could help with visiting her mom, too.

"I'd like that, Rick. Come on, I'll introduce you."