Author's Note: I don't write a whole lot of Castle fanfiction (the show is fanfiction at this point) but I couldn't sleep last night and this is what happened. Elementary school AU

Enjoy!

He dared her to do it so really, she couldn't be held responsible. It all came back around to him being dumb and yet they were both sitting in the principals office, both their asses in trouble. But Rick was the only one with an ice pack on his face.

Honestly he didn't think she'd actually punch him- or that she'd hit so hard. He was just kidding around, picking on the new girl, then all of a sudden he was on his ass staring at the spinning ceiling tiles. "I don't think you can do it!" He'd joked, raising an eyebrow at the cute new girl in the hall between classes. "I don't think you can actually punch me. And I especially don't think it'll hurt."

Kate was a little younger than him but they were almost eye-to-eye when she stood on her toes, challenging him with her facial expression alone. "You don't wanna find out, Rodgers." She retorted, turning back.

Rick started to say 'do-it' when she pivoted and clocked him right in the jaw. He was caught of guard and balance and wound up making a girlish sound and falling backward on his ass. Everyone within the immediate vicinity stopped and stared, wondering what would happen next. It was uneventful for the minute it took Rick to shake the haze from his mind and sit up halfway, looking up at her with squinted eyes.

Suddenly she looked tall and stocky and fearsome despite still being the same tiny little girl. But still, he was too intrigued to be intimidated. She had her arms crossed over her chest and her hip popped out to the side just waiting for him to concede to her victory- or maybe she was waiting to laugh when he cried. He kind of felt like crying. His jaw was red and he'd bit his tongue hard enough to taste blood but instead of crying he just silently wondered how a girl with sparkly purple nail polish could could do so much damage.

Then the hallway got bustling when a teacher announced she'd seen the whole thing. Kate's face went from triumphant to terrified in two seconds flat and Rick figured she had a parent equally as frightening as his. She didn't want her parent find out she'd hit someone again and he didn't want his parent finding out someone hit him again. But alas there wasn't much either of them could do besides trudge along to the principals office to wait for the wrath of whomever got the duty of picking them up.

It took forever, just sitting there outside the office doors together in complete silence. Well not complete silence; Rick had a bag of ice held against his jaw that crinkled whenever he moved, and Kate couldn't stop swinging her feet back and forth, making her skirt swish. Both their eyes were trained ahead, both if them suddenly finding the anti-bullying poster across the hall incredibly fascinating.

Then a man arrived and Kate's head dropped below her shoulders. "Katie…" is all the man said as he approached. He stopped in front of her but she didn't move. He stood there a second longer before wordlessly entering the principals office.

"He's gonna kill me." She whispered, almost to myself. "You better grow up to be a detective, Ricky, cause I'm gonna get killed."

"He doesn't seem that mad." Rick mumbled, looking over his shoulder to try and see into the office but all he was able to catch was the receptionist's ridiculous beehive hairdo.

"He's a silent killer." Kate shuddered. She looked over at Rick for a second, the playfulness back from earlier and he smirked a little wondering what on earth she'd already done to know her fathers reaction so well.

The door to the office opened again and Kate's father stepped out pinching the bridge of his nose. "Katie," he said again, the exact same way and she shot a look over her shoulder at Rick. "I'm tired, please apologize so we can go home."

Kate turned halfway, unwilling to apologize but more unwilling to test her father at the moment. But before she could say a thing Rick hopped off his chair and tossed his ice pack in the trash. "Why should she?" He asked both Kate and her dad. "She proved me wrong, she shouldn't have to apologize."

Kate studied him for a long minute wondering who would raise a boy to back down from a fight then she smiled a little. Looking up at her dad, Kate waited for her father to concede and after a glance between the two kids he sort of shrugged a shoulder, too tired from work to even deal with the situation any further. Kate smiled as she slid off her chair and grabbed her backpack off the floor by her feet, but before she left she just had to turn narrow eyes to the boy behind her and clarify, "This doesn't make us friends." sternly.

Rick just smiled, a look far too cocky for a kid his age, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Shame," he mumbled, eyes locked on Kate's. "we would've been great friends." he replied easily, watch her reaction carefully. She knew he was just poking her, trying to get her to snap at him- maybe hit him again- so she didn't give him the satisfaction. Two can play this teasing game.

So Kate flung her backpack over her shoulder, her dad already at the other end of the hall waiting, then while taking a few steps back she just smiled and said, "You have no idea."