Leaning against the counter, Kate let out a sigh as she waited for her coffee. Running around for coffee was a weird thing. It felt like it's been years since she's gotten her own coffee in the morning. Richard Castle was the one who was supposed to deliver it directly to her. As bad as that was to admit, even to herself, she liked that he did her the favor. She liked knowing that someone thought about her enough to buy something as simple as a cup of coffee. Maybe that was sad. Or maybe that just showed how alone she was.

In about an hour, she'd be in the precinct and Castle would be walking in with a cup of coffee for her. So why was she even wasting her time in a Starbucks? It was early in the morning and after a restless night, she needed to get out. Being alone and completely was one thing. Being alone with a bunch of strangers was different though. It wasn't as bad. Or maybe it was worse. Possibly a whole new brand of pathetic.

"What are you doing up so early?" A familiar voice sounded. Kate was barely aware that the question was directed to her until an even more familiar redhead, Martha, came into view.

"Martha," she returned a genuine smile, trying to think of a way to answer the question. They spoke sometimes, but it wasn't like Kate was insanely close with Martha. Actually, she wasn't insanely close to anyone.

The woman to Kate's senior moved beside her and leaned against the counter a couple inches away. "Couldn't sleep?" she sighed. "Neither could I."

"I slept fine." Kate said softly. She heard her name being called and turned around to accept her coffee. She sipped it appreciatively as she looked back over at Martha.

"Oh please. Then what are you doing out right now? You don't have to be working for another hour or so. You can't lie to me. You work with my son who happens to tell his mother everything."

"Oh, charming," she teased, offering a smirk. Martha laughed in response.

"He talks about you enough for me to know something's wrong."

She raised a brow. "He talks about me?" curiosity had no shot at staying hidden. It had gotten the best of her before she could really even process it. She could tell that the question surprised her partner's mother.

"Does he ever," she dropped this information without any shame even though there was a good chance Rick wouldn't want her knowing. "Darling he talks about you every chance he gets. It's his discreet way of letting me know that he likes you."

The shock of hearing the words spoken out loud took over. Kate was exceptional when it came to keeping a straight face, but her jaw dropped before she could even process it. "Wait, he what?"

Martha's name was called and she grabbed her coffee before leading Kate over to a table by one of the windows. They sat down and the detective watched all of the early birds passing by. Somehow, this was the most private their conversation would be at the moment.

She sipped her coffee and even though Kate knew it wasn't the case, it almost felt like Martha was taking these pauses to torture her. Finally, she pulled the cup away from her lips, a smile intact.

"He likes you. Don't tell me you haven't caught on. You're a detective, aren't you? He told me you were good."

"Yes, I'm a detective. I investigate murders. I can honestly say I've never played match maker." She smirked.

The redhead let out a sigh. Not because she was annoyed with Kate, but because she was confused. To her, it was the most obvious thing that her son had feelings for this woman. "He's been working with you for a while now," she pointed out, although assuming that would be a good enough explanation wasn't an option.

"Yeah but that's only because he's writing those books. One of the characters is based off of me, so Castle just needs to do his research. It's his job."

"My son doesn't need to do that much research on one single person."

The certainty in Martha's voice made Kate skeptical. "This is a new set of characters. Getting it right is important to him," she felt like that wasn't enough of an argument. "He likes the murder scenes. It's an opportunity that not many authors get. He's probably soaking it up."

Martha shook her head. "That may be so, but those are just luxuries associated with the actual prize."

Kate opened her mouth to speak, but her mouth was ahead of her brain. It was such an odd feeling. One that she seldom experienced.

"I think we should just leave it at that for now," Martha smiled as she stood up.

Kate got up with her and sipped her coffee because still, she couldn't think of what to say.

"Keep it in mind," Martha said softly. "I'm rooting for you two."

Now that was a bit much for Kate to think about.

"Have a good day. Tell my son I said hello," she started to walk out alongside the clueless detective. "Or maybe you shouldn't. That would just make him nervous," she winked before they went their separate ways.

Kate walked a couple feet before stopping to lean her back against the building, a sigh escaping her. How could she act like she didn't hear this? How could she look at Rick and not say a word about it? Better yet, how was she supposed to stop herself from being so curious?