Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or any of their characters.
Castle was getting the dinner ready for when Kate come home. She had went for lunch with her dad and had been gone all day. It was stupid how much he had missed her.
He putted the lasagna in the oven just when someone knocked on the door. He smiled to himself andrushed to the door.
When he opened the door his smile fell and was replaced by a stunned expression.
"Tempe! What are you doing here?"
"Hi, Rick."
Castle could only look at her dumbfounded. And that's when he saw the baby that was sound asleep on a stroller beside Tempe.
Oh, this can't be good. Not good at all.
Temperance was still outside his door looking at him. She looked tired, and kept looking behinde her shoulder like she was running from something. Like a ghost was behinde her, ready to get her as soon has she let her guard down.
He blinked away his surprise and stepped aside.
"Come on in." he invited.
Brenna looked relifed and took hand of the stroller, guiding it inside the loft.
Now when did that happened? Castle thought.
It had been awhile since the last time he saw her. A long while.
"I'm sorry if I interrupted your evening, Rick. I need a place to stay. Would you mind if I stayed with you?"
"No, not at all. For how long?"
"I don't know." she seemed uncomfortable. But this was Tempe and she never asked for help, so something was definitly going on.
"Well, I think I never heard you say you didn't knew something." he joked. Brennan stared at him blanckly.
Of course, we're talking about Tempe. She don't do jokes. He had almost forgotten how litteral Brenna could be.
"I'm making lasagna. Do you want some?"
"Yes, I haven't eaten for a while."
Rick glanced at the baby in the stroller. His brain was overflowding with the questions he wanted to ask her. But before he could do that he had to get ride of the awkwardness between them. He had to make her comfortable, get her to relax.
"Do you want something to drink?" he offered.
"Watter, please."
Rick went to the kitchen and got a glass of watter. When he turned around, Tempe was right behinde him. Whatever was going on got her to be very afraid. He had to figure out what was going on. She was like a sister to him.
"Are you in trouble, Tempe?"
"Yes. I think I might need your help."
"Okay. I'm here for you Tempe. You know that, right?" she nodded. "Now, you need to sit down and tell me what happened, okay?"
"Yes. You don't need to baby me, Rick." she warned.
"Talking about baby. When did that happened?" he said pointing to the baby in the stroller.
"This is Christina. She's my daughter."
"And the father?" Brennan's lip started quivering despite herself. She suck in a breath and tried to speack.
"I-I had to leave him."
"Oh, Tempe... He don't know where you are? Who's he?"
"Special Agent Seeley Booth." she bit her lip to hold the tears that threatened spill at any moment. It wasn't rational to cry. It was useless and it wouldn't help at the current situation.
"Booth. You're partner, Seeley Booth?"
"Wasn't I clear about that?" she was doing what she always did. Putting her armor that was made of rationalism and facts. The one that she used and made people describe her as beeing cold and distant. A robot. Rick knew her from the times when she was in foster care. He had been her knight in shiny armor for a while. But then he had to move to another city and they lost contact. They had met again in a writers convention. Of course they reminded eac other. Each one had followed the other trough the media. Since that writer's convention, almost eight years ago they had restaured contact. Sending e-mails, the occasional phone call and meeting for drinks. But then Rick had embraced this shadowing thing with such frevor that the time he had left was for his family and writting. Only on the summers, they reconect. Normaly because Rick had pissed the detective that he had been shadowing off and she kicked him out of her princinct. But they haven't seen each other for about two years. Each one had their lives and demanding careers.
"Come on, Tempe. I know you. You don't have to get all rational on me." Rick putted a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Let's go to the couch. You seem ready to colapse. I can't have you passing out on me. Have you eaten? You look like you haven't eaten in awhile." Rick guided her to the couch and sat her down. He had to figure out what was going on. He had never seen Tempe so scared. But first it might be better to get her to rest and eat something.
"Tempe-" he heard a knock on the door.
Kate.
Brennan's head turned quickly torwards the sound and her eyes got wide with fear.
Whatever was going on was pretty serious. Rick putted a hand on her shoulder.
"It's just Kate. My patner. I told you about her, remember?" she nodded and turned to her daughter with a look of relief.
Rick got up and opened the door to a beaming Kate.
"Hi!" she said.
"Hey, listen-" he didn't get a chance to finish the phrase. She was all over him. Her mouth pressing against his demanding and happy, her hands all over. For a second Rick forgot about Tempe sitting on the couch. Hell, he forgot his own name. The only thing on his mind was carrying Kate to his room and do to her what he had been waiting all day.
But Tempe scoffed and broke the spell that Kate had cast on him. She pushed herself off of him and looked at the woman on the couch, then back at him. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips slightlt swolled.
"Hmm... Hi. I'm Kate."
"Hello, pleasure to meet you Kate. Rick told me a lot about you. I'm doctor Temperace Brennan."
"Hmm... pleasure to meet you too." Kate glared at Rick that seem a bit desorientated. She pulled his arm down. "You could have told me that yuou were having visitors." she whispered.
"I didn't knew I would have visitors and you kinda didn't give me a chance to say anything." he said back.
Kate bit her lip. He was right, but there was no way in hell she would tell that to him. But who cold blame her? She had spent a whole day without touching him, so it was obvious that the only thing on her mind was take him to his room and-
"Kate. Earth calls Kate. You back with us."
"What? Yes. I wondered around. What were you saying?"
He gave her a smile, like he knew exactly what she was thinking.
"I was saying that Tempe and her daughter are going to stay with us for awhile. Until we can fix whatever it's going on. You're okay with that?"
"Oh, of course. Why wouldn't I be. It's your house, Castle." she saw Brennan raise an eyebrow trough the corner of her eye.
"Okay... Tempe, for tonight we'll just get you to eat something and get you settled on the guest room. Tomorrow we can talk. I think I still have Alexis cribb. I'll go get it. You still rememver where the guest room is right? You already know, what's mine it's yours." he gave Tempe a carefull smile. "While you get yourself comfortable I'll take care of dinner and I'll get Alexis cribb for you."
Brennan got up and looked at Rick "Thank you, Rick." she grabbed the stroller and tiredly walked torwards the stairs. Very carefully she took Christina from the stroller and carried her up, leaving Rick and Kate alone.
Kate turned to Rick with both hands on her hips. She could feel a story between those twp and although she knew that there was absolutly no reason for her to be jeaulous- because honestly, the woman and a baby and was in trouble the last thing she would be thinking was Rick -she felt the tugging of jeaulousy on her heart.
"What?" Rick asked while walking torwards the kitchen. Kate let out a long sigh and decided to make herself comfortable. This was going to be a long night. She took of her coat and heels, walking torwards Rick's room with both in hand to change to something more comfortable. She realy didn't cared if there was a woman upstairs that she didn't knew. She was tired. She quickly took her clothes off and changed to leggins one of Rick's shirts. She took a deep breath, feeling far more comfortable.
Dinner had been... interesting. Brennan was exausted. Kate was tired. Castle didn't seem to know what to do with himself.
He hadn't pushed Brennan to talk. He wouldn't. At least not tonight.
He had helped Brenna set up Alexis old crib in the guest room after dinner. Brennan had stayed there after that.
And nowRick and Kate were sitting on his ridiculously comfortable couch with glasses of whine in their hands. Kate could sense a story coming. She could see Castle creating that atmosphere of story telling. She loved when he told her stories like that. It was kind of... magical. So she settled back in the couch and made herself comfortable.
She knew Temperace Brennan. She had read her novels. It was good. Realy good. She also knew that she was a forensic antropologist and that she helped the FBI solve cases. She had read about her. She was a genious. How could Kate compete with that? She couldn't. That scared a little bit. That and the way that Castle looked at her. With such concern. He was very protective of her. Almost the same way he was protective of herself.
But Kate also knew better than that. She also saw that the way he looked at her was the way he looked at Alexis. Like someone of his own blood.
Stop beeing sillly, Kate. There's no reason for you to be jealous!
So she got herself comfortable and took a sip of her wine, ready for the story that was coming.
A/N: I'll continue this, depending the response that you guys have to this chapter...