Disclaimer: Castle is not mine and is the sole property of Andrew Marlowe and ABC Studios. No copyright infringement is intended and I make no profit from this.

A/N: I wasn't expecting to write more of this. And yet. There should be one more part to this and then we'll be done with this little venture and I can get back to reading fanfic. -smile-


Inside, the loft was calm and quiet, and Kate looked around curiously. "Where are Alexis and Martha?"

"Alexis is Skyping Ashley, she probably won't surface for a few more hours. And Mother went out on the town- 'to reaffirm her existence,'" Rick finished with a dramatic shudder. "In the interest of my fragile sanity, I refused to ask."

Kate rolled her eyes and followed Rick to the kitchen, noting the crackling flames in the fireplace that warded off the mid-autumn chill. "So you're… keeping the home fires burning then?"

"I'll have you know that I was engrossed in writing the next Nikki Heat novel," he said, nodding to the laptop which sat on the kitchen table.

Kate leaned towards it, grinning when she saw the screen. "Contemplating a change of genres? I somehow don't remember ever coming across any zombies in New York City."

Rick colored briefly, rushing to flip the screen closed before she saw any more. "Not a chance, Detective. I was merely engaging in a time-honored creative writing exercise to broaden the horizons of my story-telling ability."

"By making Nikki fight zombies... naked?"

Crap. She'd seen way more than she initially let on. He cleared his throat awkwardly, still clutching the laptop to his chest. "Yes, well-"

"Admit it, Castle, you were goofing off."

"Maybe a little." He smirked, placing the laptop on the kitchen counter.

"What'll it be, Beckett? Beer, wine? Perhaps I can interest you in some tequila? I've got fresh limes," he added, wiggling his eyebrows ridiculously.

"Shut up and get me a glass of wine, Castle."

"As you wish, m'lady," he said, and then set about procuring two of the very largest wine glasses she'd ever seen with a smirk and a flourish.

Kate's eyes narrowed. If she didn't know any better... But- he wouldn't, would he? Well, yes, she had to admit, he probably would. Considering that any response from her would lead to either a very awkward conversation or to him incessantly quoting the Princess Bride at her for the rest of the night, she let it go.

"So what brings you by? Just couldn't stay away from yours truly? I'm flattered."

"Don't be- you've got a bigger fireplace and-"

"-Is that a euphemism?" he chipped in gleefully, and she found herself rolling her eyes at his antics as she finished.

"-and my apartment's too drafty." Which was actually true- her apartment was getting chilly lately and until the super decided it was late enough in the season to turn the heat on, she was stuck using the fireplace and occasionally- though she'd never admit to it- leaving the oven open to heat the small space.

"Oh." Rick sighed, taking in the few damp strands of hair that hung loose over the long sleeves that covered her arms. "Still cold?"

"Now and then." She gathered he wasn't just talking about the present and shrugged, preferring not to think about their time in the freezer any more than was necessary. "You?"

He nodded, scrutinizing the counter as if it held the answers. "Sometimes. I turned the thermostat as high as it would go after the Hamilton case."

She offered half a smile. "I ran for an hour and still had to get the largest hot chocolate I could find afterwards."

Kate looked up and met his steady gaze, trying to appear less affected than she'd been by the day. "How are you doing?"

Rick tilted his head in an approximation of a shrug. "Oh, you know me Kate, I bounce pretty well. It wasn't my favorite way to spend the day, but it's over now. Thank you."

"I didn't do anything, Castle- it was difficult even getting them to allow me on scene."

"No," he said. "Thank you for taking care of Alexis. I knew your hands were tied by the negotiation team, but thank you for looking after her."

"I promised I would, Rick." she murmured.

Still, she thought. It was too close. Kate made an effort to lift the mood and motioned at the large bottle of wine sitting forgotten on the counter. "You gonna pour that?"

"Trying to get me drunk?" He sounded entirely too delighted by the prospect

"And what would you do if I was, Castle?" There. Let him chew on that for a while.

He poured two tall glasses, sliding one across the counter to her with a look that was equal parts dark and playful- and completely distracting, she thought. "I'd help."

Kate looked away first and took a sip from the glass she'd picked up moments before, idly thinking it was almost large enough to be considered a goblet. She could still feel Rick's gaze on her, and it wasn't that it was uncomfortable; it was that it felt too comfortable.

They'd been playing this game for months- years actually, she admitted in the spirit of being honest with herself. He pushed, she pushed back, then they met somewhere in the middle, laughed at each other, and started all over again.

Lately it hadn't seemed like as much of a game- more like something had been settled and decided upon between them without ever being voiced. They were closer than they'd ever been, and she'd been content with that for months now, ever since Castle had resumed shadowing her at the twelfth. They'd come as close to talking about the proverbial "It" as they ever had and he finally knew about the wall, which felt like a monumental achievement in itself. She hadn't talked about it with anyone but her therapist in years. Today though- it hadn't felt like enough anymore, not when she was suddenly faced with the realization that he could die whether or not he was following her. That he could die without ever knowing...

Alexis had asked her point blank in a moment of sheer panic, "Do you love my dad?" with eyes wide and terrified and so much like Rick's. Kate hadn't been able to look away, and she hadn't been able to lie.

She'd nodded quietly, her own eyes a little watery. "So much."

Alexis had settled a little, but she still looked lost and Kate reached out, anchoring her. "I can't lose him, Kate."

"I know. I promise I'm going to do everything I can to get him out Alexis, even if that means I strap a vest on and go in there myself."

The teen had stared at her for several seconds before she nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Hey-" Castle tapped her shoulder, abruptly bringing her back to the present where he looked like he was expecting her to startle and flee at any moment. "Where'd you go just now?"

Kate shook her head, silently asking him to let the question go unanswered while she marshaled her thoughts. He was fine. They still had time.

He watched her for a moment before he finally came to a decision. "You know what we need?"

She braced herself when she saw the serious look on his face, half-certain the next words out of his mouth would be some outlandish plan.

"Ghostbuster's marathon," he finished, a grin already taking over his familiar features. She felt a matching one spreading across her own face as she thought back to one of their most recent cases.

"Seriously, Castle? Ghostbusters is going to solve our problems?"

"Hey, don't knock the process- these are time honored methods, meticulously honed by generations of Castles-"

"-By which you mean that you nagged Alexis until she gave up just so you'd quit bugging her, right?"

He stopped abruptly but the mischievous look never left his eyes. "...Maybe. But it's guaranteed to work and I have Triple Choco-Fudge Swirl in the freezer. Plus, I'll even let you cuddle with me."

"In your dreams, Ricky."

"Always, my dear Detective."

She found herself smirking into her wine glass and blaming the warmth she felt on her cheeks on the alcohol, but- he did have her favorite ice cream, and movies did always look better on the large sheet he tacked up to use as a screen... "Oh, why not-"

"Excellent choice. Hold this for me while I get the sheet?" She took the proffered wine glass and wandered over to lean against the railing at the foot of the stairs. Despite the events of the day so far, it was definitely beginning to look up.