Greetings readers: this is my first foray into posting Castle fiction, so be kind please and thank you.

Summary: Kate goes to dinner with her dad only to be introduced to Morgan Cahill, Jim's 'friend' from AA meetings. Morgan needs a favour, so Jim asks Kate to look into Morgan's husband's murder from three years previous. Meanwhile, Josh is in South America and Castle decides to make a serious play for Kate.

Updates will come as fast as I can churn them out, I am a college student in a challenging course, but I do tend to shirk responsibility to write :)

Enjoy -

"Another case closed, Detective, what ever shall we do to celebrate?" Castle dropped dramatically into his chair next to Kate's desk and watched her as she signed the final piece of paperwork.

Kate smirked and turned to face him. "Definitely not what you're thinking about Castle,"

Castle clutched his shirt over his heart. "Why Detective, my mind was nowhere near the gutter, but yours seems to be," he grinned at the end of his sentence and Kate shook her head.

"Only because you always go there Castle. I'm going to meet my dad for dinner." she stood and stretched a little, reached for her jacket. Castle jumped up and snatched it from her hands, holding it open before she could yell at him.

Kate smiled and rolled her eyes before stepping into it and pulling it closed. She grabbed her bag as Castle pulled on his own jacket. "Can I come with you?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

"No, Castle, go home. Cook with Alexis or run lines with Martha," Kate laughed. He followed her to the elevator.

"Oh, come on, please? I haven't met your dear old dad yet! He'd love me, you know he would."

She pressed the button for the elevator and turned to face him. "Oh really. And why do you think he'd like you so much?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Way too many reasons to list now on such short notice. Mostly because I'm charming. I always got along with my girlfriend's fathers," he said proudly as the doors dinged open.

Kate stepped inside and bit her lip as Castle got on too. "Yeah, except I'm not your girlfriend," she pointed out. Since the case with Agent Fallon, (being exposed to radiation, almost frozen and then being a half second from being blown up), Kate was suddenly acutely aware of Castle's interest in her.

Esposito had been right all that time ago, when the writer had invited her to the Hampton's, but she wasn't ready to take him seriously then. She was beginning to think she could now. Except he wouldn't actually say anything about the subject.

Which was frustrating.

Not my girlfriend? Don't remind me, he thought to himself. On the outside, he put on a little smirk. "That just means I'll get along with him even better,"

She shook her head and chuckled. The doors opened on the ground floor and while Castle went left to the parking garage, she went to go right out the front doors.

"Oh, not driving?" Castle asked, one hand on the door handle to the garage.

"Nope, cab. See you tomorrow Castle," and she was out the doors before he could go after her.

"Until tomorrow, Kate." he said under his breath before turning away.

Kate walked into the diner a few blocks from her apartment an hour later, eyes already searching for her dad. Spotting him in a corner booth at the other end of the restaurant, she grinned and made her way towards him.

He stood with a grin of his own and opened her arms for her to fold into easily. They hugged warmly and tightly, like always.

"Hey, daddy," she greeted quietly from his shoulder. She felt him rub her back slowly and a chuckle rumbled in his chest.

"Hi Katie,"

They pulled back and Jim slid back to his seat on one side of the table and Kate sat on the other side. A waitress came by and dropped a couple of napkins on the tabletop before placing two glasses of water down as well.

When she moved off, Jim spoke. "So, how was work?"

Kate smirked. "You really want to hear about it?" She'd heard enough remarks from her father over the years about her being a cop.

Jim chuckled and shook his head. "Well, while I do fear for your life on a daily, possibly hourly, basis you seem to be all in one piece in front of me today."

She grinned wide and looked at her glass before looking up at him again. "It was good. Just closed a case; a woman killed her step-sister over a bottle of perfume."

Jim pulled a face. "Perfume?"

Kate shook her head, sad smile still in place. "From the corner store. The price sticker was still on it,"

"Was it at least expensive?"

"$7.98,"

"Damn," Jim shook his head now.

Kate just took in his face, smile widening. "You look different. Good. What's new with you?" The lines that were permanent around his mouth and eyes looked different, lighter, more like laugh lines than grief signs.

"Well, I'm good, Katie, really good." he said with a smile.

Kate raised an eyebrow, "That's great, Dad." He was hiding something from her. She got her inability to lie to people she cared about from him.

She watched as his eyes flicked over her shoulder and then back to her face. "Actually, there's something I want to tell you,"

Kate would have been concerned, her mind immediately going to the scary thought that he was drinking again, but his face was too happy. "What?"

"Jim," a woman's voice came from next to Kate's shoulder. She turned as her father stood and was met with an older woman, slightly shorter than her father, with greying brunette hair and bright green eyes. She had a nervous smile on her face.

"Katie, this is Morgan Cahill," Kate just looked up at the woman, Morgan, with her mouth hanging open. "Morgan, this is my daughter Katie."

"Katie, it's nice to meet you." Morgan outstretched a small hand with a few wrinkles. Her nails were painted a light pink.

"Kate," Kate said automatically, it was a reflex; only her parents called her Katie. But she did manage to shake the woman's hand with a small smile.

"Kate, then. I've heard so much about you," Jim and Morgan sat opposite Kate now and watched her expectantly.

"I've, uh, heard nothing about you," Kate returned with wide eyes. She hoped this wasn't what she thought it was.

"I met Morgan at a meeting and-,"

Kate cut her dad off. "At a meeting? Dad, are you-,"

"No, no, no." Jim waved her off. He saw the frown on her face and took one of her hands in his and smoothed his thumb over her skin. "No, Katherine, I promise. I went, just for the support. It was months ago. I met Morgan at a meeting."

Kate's eyes moved to Morgan's face. The other woman was watching her dad speak with a small smile on her face. Kate didn't like it.

"She was sharing her story and I talked to her after and, well, we just started having coffee after meetings. Talking about," Kate looked back at Jim as he stopped and swallowed. "About our stories."

Kate frowned deeper and looked down at their clasped hands. "How long?"

Jim frowned a little now. "How long, what?"

"Coffee?" she tried to make it sounds light, but there was something bubbling in her chest and making it challenging to breathe.

"About eight months now, right Morgan?"

Morgan finally spoke again. "Your father is wonderful to talk to, such good company. Since my husband passed, well..."

Kate couldn't look at her, but forced herself to at least look at the woman's clenched hands on the table top.

"He's a good man," Morgan finally said.

"Yeah, he's the best." Kate managed. Her throat felt like it was closing up. Were they dating?

She couldn't ask the question. Jim answered it for her.

"We've been, seeing each other, Katie. Lunches on the weekend, dinner once or twice," Jim could see his daughter struggling with this. She wouldn't look them in the eye, one of her biggest tells, and she was biting her lip.

Since becoming sober, Jim had been lonely. When he finally accepted that Johanna wasn't coming back, his sponsor had told him to try and make new friends. Maybe get a dog or a fish or something. Alan, his sponsor, had told him that Johanna would want him to be happy.

"Oh," was all that came out.

"Actually, I, well we, wanted to ask you a favor." Jim said after an awkward moment. "Morgan's husband, Charlie; the police said it was random, robbery gone wrong in a convenience store."

Kate just nodded along, frowning a little.

"We were wondering if you could make sure? Just look over the case quickly, see if anything was missed, like with," he swallowed again. "With Johanna."

Kate licked her lips and pulled her hand back from her dad's before smoothing a hand over her forehead. "I can't just, go over another case dad. I have my own to do."

"It was handled by the 12th precinct, the file should still be there. She needs the closure, Katie. Just like we did." Kate's eyes snapped to his now, a wary look on her face.

"I can't, dad, I can't just start looking into other cases." Kate said, trying to make him understand.

"But-," Jim was cut off by Kate's cell phone ringing.

She dove into her bag for it, thanking whoever it was for the distraction.

"Beckett," she answered. She felt slightly guilty for hoping it was a body.

"Beckett, how goes dinner with dad?"

"Castle?"

"I'm wondering if you would reconsider your previous answer to my question of coming with you,"

"I'm already here Castle," Kate bit out, glancing up at her dad and Morgan. She stood and motioned outside and fled the table.

"Well, guy could hope, right?"

"Actually, Castle, do you think you could do me a favor?"

"I don't think she likes me," Morgan told Jim as they watched Kate through the glass.

"Of course she likes you, Katie likes everyone until they give her a reason not to." Jim said, even if he was thinking the same thing as Morgan. He took a sip of water and pulled a smile to face her.

"Dating her father isn't reason enough?" Morgan raised an eyebrow with a small smile.

"She just needs time to take it in, always has. Katie's a thinker. She'll adjust."

Kate came back in and grabbed her jacket and bag. "I have to go, Castle called and something came up," she was being purposefully vague; her father always knew when she was lying and she could see him checking her over now.

It wasn't a complete lie; Castle had called, and she'd taken the call and asked for a favor and so something had come up. She should be fine.

"Alright, Katie, you be careful you hear me?" Jim was satisfied that Kate was telling the truth and stood to give her a hug goodbye. "I love you, okay?"

Kate smiled into his shoulder, despite the weird feelings from earlier. "I love you too. I'll call you later,"

"It was nice to meet you Kate," Morgan said, not getting up. Kate smiled a little and nodded.

"You too Morgan,"

And then she was gone.

She got a few blocks down and ducked into a bookstore to wait for Castle and within 20 minutes he was coming in the front door, setting the bell ringing.

"What's wrong?" he asked right away.

"Nothing," it was easier to lie to Castle. "Can we just get out of here?"

Castle frowned a little but held out an arm to her. "Of course, milady, where shall we go."

Kate smiled and looped her arm through his as they left he bookstore and climbed into his car.

"Remy's? I didn't get a chance to eat," she admitted. Castle turned the car on and turned the music up.

"To Remy's," he said with a grin before pulling out into traffic.

That night, after Castle had dropped her off with a smile and a kiss to the back of her hand, Kate fell into bed with her mind spinning.

Who the hell was Morgan Cahill, and why hadn't her dad mentioned her before now? He'd obviously been talking about her to the woman.

Why did Morgan want her to look into her husband's murder? Had her dad told her about her mom's case? About how she'd had to shoot the killer?

Why was Castle suddenly so insistent on being a nice guy? And not even his regular, charming self; he hadn't made one lewd joke at Remy's, had let her pay her portion of the check, didn't make any innuendos and made her laugh. He only asked once what had happened at dinner and when she didn't want to talk, he dropped it.

He looked at her seriously, he seemed to touch her more, he listened and didn't tease her so caustically. Was he making a play for her? Wasn't he still with Gina?

What about Josh?

When she finally slid into sleep some two hours later, it was deep and dreamless.

The next morning, Kate arrived at the precinct early to find Esposito and Ryan already there and working on the paperwork they'd neglected to do the night before. "Morning, Boss," they chorused.

She grinned at them. She secretly thoroughly enjoyed it when they did that. "Hey guys,"

She settled at her desk when her phone buzzed with a new text. When she checked it, she found a message from her dad. Kate shook her head with a small smile at her dad texting before reading the short message.

hope you're safe. last night was fun. reply so i don't have a heart attack. love you.

Kate responded with a smile and set her phone down.

safe. don't have a heart attack. love you too.

"Good morning detective," Castle handed her the usual cup of coffee, which she took and sipped with two hands and savored, and dropped into his chair. "What's on the agenda today?"

"Not much yet, why, Castle are you bored?" She teased him, sitting back in her chair. Kate held out her hand and Castle looked down at it before pulling the bag holding her bear claw out from under his jacket.

"Never bored when you're around Beckett, you should know that by now." he smiled at her and Kate felt a little zing go straight to her stomach. Oh no.

"We don't have a case, just processing paperwork and cold cases until lunch." she answered, taking another sip of her coffee to try and hide the look on her face.

"Oh, what's happening at lunch?" he leaned in close as if sharing a secret and Kate forced herself not to react to his cologne. What the hell?

"We're going to do my dad a favor."

"This is the only Charles Cahill from three years ago, not worked by us personally, but the case went cold here." Esposito handed Kate the thin file with 'Cahill, Charles' written on it.

She flipped it open to find a picture of Charles clipped to the jacket. He was dark skinned, shaved head, with warm brown eyes and a wide smile. There was a gap between his front teeth. He had dark freckles over his nose and cheeks. His slight stubble had flecks of grey.

Kate felt a clench in her gut. She pushed the feeling down and shifted as Castle came over to read over her shoulder.

"Says he was shot in a convenience store in a robbery three years ago. Small calibre to the chest, bled out in minutes." Castle said. He could feel Kate already becoming involved in this, whatever it was, she was stiffening, touching the photo of Charles Cahill quickly before flipping through the pages.

"There's a surveillance video of the robbery, but the notes say the shooter was wearing a mask. Ryan?" Kate looked up. It was lunch, so they were all eating (Castle bought Chinese and forced Kate to take a break), but Ryan put down his carton and saluted with a smirk before going to find it.

"We thinking this was done dirty?" Esposito asked from his seat at the table in the break room.

Kate considered the question a moment before shaking her head. "I don't know. We'll see. It's a favor for someone."

Esposito looked at Castle who shrugged and shook his head. "Favor for who?" the other detective asked.

"My dad," Kate said. There was a slight warning tone to her voice and Esposito backed down with a look thrown to Castle.

Castle nodded once and motioned out the door. The other man made an excuse and left, saying he was going to help Ryan.

"Do you think he's actually going to help Ryan or going to see Lanie?" Kate asked when the door had shut. She was smirking into her Chinese with the file spread out in front of her. The chopsticks froze halfway to her mouth when Castle spoke next.

"What's the favor?" he asked quietly and curiously. He saw her hesitate, bite her lip. She set the container down and frowned at the file.

Castle pulled his chair closer and rested his hand on the table right next to hers, as close as he could get without touching it, and spoke as sincerely as he could muster.

"You know you can tell me, right? I promise I can be an adult sometimes, honest." He felt relief as Kate smiled a little at the last part and folded his fingers under his hand to resist reaching out to touch her.

"My dad's," she hesitated before answering with a carefully chosen word, "friend, asked for the favor. They want to make sure this was done right."

Castle nodded and frowned a little, examining Kate. Her shoulders were set and tense, despite the light mood she tried to show for Ryan and Esposito. There were slight shadows under her eyes, like she hadn't slept very well and she wouldn't quite meet his eyes.

When he didn't say anything and she looked up in surprise, something clicked into place for him. The look in her eyes was one he'd seen only once before and it was on Alexis' friend Sabrina.

Sabrina's parents had been divorced for a couple of months when she came over to their place, crying to Alexis, confused and a little hurt because her father had just introduced her to his new girlfriend. She'd run off from her dinner, had one of their friends pick her up, and they'd gone up to Alexis' room and talked for hours.

That look, the almost-crying, confused and hurt look, that Sabrina had been wearing was just barely beginning to show on Kate Beckett's face.

"Is this friend a woman?" he asked gently. He watched her fingers clench the carton and hoped desperately this wouldn't turn out like him prying into her mother's case had.

Kate took in sharp breath. How the hell did he always know? What, did he have mind reading abilities or something? "No," she lied, forcibly picking up her chopsticks again and spearing a piece of ginger chicken.

"Liar," he whispered. Ryan came back in at that moment and slid the CD across the table to Beckett before picking up his Chinese food again.

"So the tape itself has no sound, but according to the evidence guys, this is the original." he said, looking back and forth between the two with a slight frown. "You two okay?"

"Fine. Let's watch that tape." Kate rose and left her food to leave the break room for her desk and computer. Castle followed closely behind her and Ryan did as well with his food.

She slid the disk into the drive and waited for it to load. "So did Esposito help you out?" Kate teased, trying to get back some balance after Castle tipped her off of it.

Ryan frowned. "No, why?" Castle raised his eyebrows at him.

"Ah, Lanie? Dude, I feel bad, we should just tell them how totally not stealthy they're being." Ryan commented with a head shake. He lifted noodles into his mouth.

Kate opened the video and the three leaned in to watch.

The picture was black and white and didn't have any sound, but was clear. Charles Cahill entered the store and wandered the back shelves before grabbing a bottle of ginger ale and a pack of peanut butter cups. By the time he'd reached the counter and pulled his wallet out, a man had come in behind him.

The man's face was turned away from the camera and then he'd pulled a black mask over it, whipping out a gun and pointing at the cashier, a young woman, and Charles Cahill. The man was screaming and Cahill had his hands in the air, motioning for him to put the gun down.

The man used his gun to point away from the cash and Cahill went, leaving his wallet. The woman behind the cash was crying, she looked about 16, and opening the register. The man pointed the gun at her as she did it and shoved a bag in her face. She piled the cash it and backed against the wall of cigarettes behind her.

"Look, he's going to do something," Castle commented, pointing at Cahill. He was right. Cahill was slowly bringing his hands down. The man was moving to climb over the counter and the woman was clutching the top of her shirt closed.

Just as the man lowered the gun to hop the counter, Cahill charged him, knocking him and a stand of magazines over in the process. There was short scuffle before the man and Cahill jerked, the girl visibly flinching too, before Cahill was rolled off the man and he was running.

A dark puddle formed under Cahill and the girl called 911.

"Okay, looked random to me; why does your-," Kate looked up sharply at Castle and he stopped himself before rethinking his words. "Why does your dad think this deserves a second look?"

Kate bit her lip before answering. "I don't know. Let's read the witness statement,"

By the end of their lunch break, they'd gone through everything; the video, the autopsy and CSU reports, statements and final paperwork. Kate was convinced it was a random robbery, unfortunate but typical in New York, and even Castle didn't have any wild theories about this one.

Ryan and Esposito were due in court to testify that afternoon, so when they left, Castle took the opportunity to tell Kate he was going for coffee and instead slip down to see Lanie.

"Hey, writer boy, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Lanie was autopsying an older man with white hair, deep wrinkles and yellow fingernails and teeth. Castle bet he died of lung cancer from smoking.

"Do I need a reason to come down and see my favourite medical examiner?" he said with a charming smile.

"Only when it's got something to do with your favourite medical examiner's best friend who happens to be a homicide detective, who you've also got the hots for," Lanie replied with a wide smile and a raised eyebrow.

Castle shook his head with a smile and leaned against the doorframe. "Seriously though, what do you know about Jim Beckett?"

Lanie looked up now, face serious. "Kate's dad? Castle, do you remember the last time you poked around Kate's family?"

Castle nodded seriously, "I do, but this isn't about him being killed, quite the opposite. Has she told you if he's, well, dating anyone?"

Lanie frowned and thought a little. "Um, no. But do you really expect her to tell us that?"

Castle stood up. "No, but still, maybe in passing. Anything this morning or late last night?"

She shook her head, curls bouncing now. "Nope, why, is she acting off?"

"She's doing a favour for a friend of her dad's. When I asked if it was a woman, she kind of, I don't know. It was weird."

Lanie shifted her weight to one hip and raised her eyebrows. "Best selling novelist and that's the description I get? Damn."

Castle sighed and came a little further into the room. "I'm serious, I want to help her out with this."

"You know, she's got a boyfriend, a gorgeous doctor boyfriend, who can help her through this, whatever it is." Lanie said with a still-raised eyebrow.

Castle's face tightened a little at that and Lanie felt realization wash over her. "You're gonna do it, aren't you?"

Castle hesitated at Lanie's excited tone. "Do what?"

"Make an honest play for my girl; the whole tell her how you feel without any innuendos or jokes deal. Without joking or making light of it so she knows you're serious. You are, aren't you?" she looked way too happy now and Castle raised his hands.

"I just wanted to know."

Lanie smirked at him. "Mmhm." she hummed.

Castle back from the room. "Thanks Lanie!"

"Keep me posted!" she called after him.

She turned back to Ted Moore on her table and grinned. "Finally, that man gets some sense."

Soooo, what'd you think? Should I continue?

Also, I can't remember if Castle has met Beckett's dad, but I don't think he has. Either way, for this story, he hasn't.

If they seem a little OOC, you can tell me, ahaha I promise (I need to know these things)

Reviews are love!

:)