THE CREAM IN MY COFFEE
CHAPTER ONE

"He's the cream in my coffee."
"You two are a walking fairy tale. Good lord."
-from Castle episode 4x14, "The Blue Butterfly"

"Another one, Mr. Castle?"

Rick Castle smiled at the barista, handing her a few dollars. "Please. Thanks, Anna." Once he got his second coffee of the morning and sat down, he had started to put his headphones back in when he heard her voice.

"Grande skim latte, two pumps vanilla, please."

He'd been coming here for two weeks to people-watch, try to get ideas for his next book. He didn't know what it was about this particular woman; maybe it was her striking looks, tall and slender with cheekbones that screamed "model." Or maybe it was her demeanor, polite but not overly friendly. He'd only seen her three or four times; she didn't come every morning, but when she did it was promptly at 7:30, and she ordered the same drink every time.

Rick had made up his mind the first time he saw her: he had to meet this woman.

He watched her for about a week, studying her. Rick prided himself on reading people, but she wasn't giving him anything to work with. He saw men try to approach her only to be shut down with a curt "goodbye" or ignored completely.

Okay then. So, the traditional route was out.

Finally, Rick got an idea.

Three days later, she came in again. He watched her carefully, biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment. He saw her smile her thanks to the barista as she picked up her drink and turned. This was it.

Rick stood up and walked towards the counter, head down but watching her out of the corner of his eye, purposely putting himself in her path. He adjusted the speed of his steps, and in 3, 2, 1…

"Oof!" the woman exhaled as he ran into her hand, knocking her coffee to the ground.

"Oh my God."

"Seriously?!"

Rick reached for a napkin. "I am so sorry. I wasn't paying attention…"

"Yeah, I noticed." The woman glared at him with a pair of hazel eyes that he tried not to get lost in, especially since they were shooting daggers. If looks could kill…

"Here, let me get you another one. Hey, Anna, can we get another—" He looked at her expectantly.

"Don't worry about it."

"No, no, it's the least I can do. What did you have?"

The woman finally sighed and gave in. "Grande skim latte, two pumps vanilla."

Anna had the drink out in seconds; Rick had tipped her off earlier about his plan. "Here you go, ma'am."

"Thank you." She gave Rick one more look and muttered another "thanks," and she was gone.

Rick just stood there, staring at the closed door. He looked at Anna. "What just happened?"

Anna just laughed.

A week went by. Rick continued coming to the coffee shop every morning, hoping for a glimpse of the mysterious beauty who had failed to succumb to his charms and had snuck out of his grasp. And every morning he handed Anna (or whoever was on duty) a ten-dollar bill, with instructions that the woman's next order was on him and they were to keep the change.

Finally, one morning he was reading – well, pretending to read – when he heard the door open.

It was her.

He managed to stay in his seat, ears straining to hear the conversation over the buzz of the shop.

"Oh, no, your coffee's been paid for."

Thank you, Anna.

"By whom?"

Oh God, she even used proper grammar.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Anna tilt her head towards him, and he (nonchalantly, he hoped) made eye contact with the woman.

He saw her lips tighten for a moment, and then she rolled her eyes and smiled at him. He smiled back, offering a nod in greeting. When she approached him, he stood to greet her.

"Hello again."

"Hi. Thanks for the coffee."

Rick smiled. "No problem. I still feel bad about last week."

She chuckled, a sound he never knew he was missing in his life. "Well, now your conscience can be clear."

"Good. You know, you rushed out before I could say anything. I'm Rick," he said, holding out his hand.

She considered for a moment, then took it. "Beckett. Well, Kate. But most people call me Beckett."

Rick nodded. "Okay then, Beckett Kate Beckett. Would you like to sit?"

Kate looked at her watch, a large one that Rick was fairly sure was a man's watch. Now there was a story, he thought.

"I'm sorry, I can't. I'm running late as it is."

"Ah. Well. Maybe next time."

"Yeah, maybe." Kate tipped her cup in his direction. "Thanks again, Rick."

Rick watched as she walked out yet again. But this time it felt different. He'd get her to crack; it was only a matter of time before he'd peel away a layer and start to get to know her.