So, this was supposed to be a one-shot, but as usual, I forgot to mark it as complete. You guys seem interested in the story, so I'll try to continue.


She couldn't keep him off her mindas she sat behind her desk in the precinct. Ever since she found him soaked on the roof, they have met there many times. Sometimes on consecutive days, a couple days apart at most if she had a case that took all her time.

She smiles as she thinks about him, his real and made-up stories swirling in her mind, and she can see him sitting in front of her, a glass of wine in his hand while he wildly gestures with the other. He is really cute when he gets lost in his imagination, and she usually watches him with a smile on her face, taking in every detail, every small twitch, every wrinkle.

She thinks of him more often now, and the boys even started teasing her recently about how dreamy she became. She finds herself longing after his company when they catch a tough one, because even if his constant positive attitude and childishness annoy her at times, it almost always manages to make her relax a little, and let loose after the exhausting days.

She shifts in her seat nervously, her mind replaying the events of last night over and over again. It's been a long week, and she was feeling utterly drained, her body stiff, and she felt like her brain had turned to jelly. They haven't talked to each other in a couple of days before yesterday, and she was just about to ask him when they would meet, when the solid knock on her door distracted her.


She lets out a small growl, because she really doesn't feel like being bothered by one of her neighbors or random houseguests. She turns on her death glare as she swings the door open, fully aware of what it can do to unprepared souls.

She almost starts talking, her only goal to drive whoever it is away, but as she opens her mouth to speak those eyes meet with hers, and the words get stuck inside along with the air.

"Alexis" The surprise is obvious in her tone, and her eyebrows rise at the sight of Castle's daughter. They have met a couple of times before, but only to inform each other the next meeting, or to drop by to cancel one. They haven't talked much, but she could tell that she was mature for her age, probably a little too much, and that she was very smart and she constantly stayed at his side. And Castle talked her about a lot too. He mentioned his daughter any moment he could, and his face always brightened at the thought of her, clearly proud of her achievements.

"Hi Kate" She looks nervous, and shaken up, and she wonders what's wrong. "Could you come to the roof please? Something happened, and dad…"

Kate feels her breathing speed up, her mind already filled with terrible images. But as she looks at Alexis, she doesn't look too upset, so it couldn't be that bad.

"Of course, just give me a minute." She steps back into her apartment, leaving the door open for Alexis to come in. She quickly throws on a comfortable sweater, checks herself in the mirror and heads to Alexis. "I'm ready."

The silence is heavy around them, filled with awkwardness and tension. They walk next to each other as they climb the stairs to the roof, and she wonders what happened that Alexis came for her.

Alexis opens the door for her, and she feels better already, as soon as the gentle caress of the wind touches her. She looks around, and she sees him at their spot, sitting on a blanket.

His shoulders are slumped and his face is buried in his hands, and she feels the urge to wrap her arms around him, to comfort him, make him feel better. He did the same for her so many times already. Well, except the hugging. They haven't reached that yet.

"Hey Castle" She puts a hand on his shoulder, then slowly sits down in front of him, waiting for him to react. He looks up towards her slowly, and her heart shrinks at the sight. His face looks sad and worn out, and he looks years older.

"Hi Kate" He tries with a weak smile, but it disappears instantly, taken over by the sadness again. "What are you doing here?"

Wait, if he didn't call her up here, then… Oh… Alexis? She looks to the stairs, and when she finds her eyes Alexis gives her a small shrug, then disappears down the stairs. So she called her up here to talk to him? Strange.

She turns back to Castle, who still looks miserable, and she reaches out, covering his hand with her own. "Well, we haven't talked in a couple of days, and I missed your voice." Even though her tone is playful, she thinks he hears the truth in it.

"I wanted to ask you, but then…" His head falls, and she wants to make him feel better.

"Castle" She tries, but he doesn't react. "Rick, what happened?" Her voice is lower, and soft, and he looks up at the use of his first name.

He turns his hand, taking hers in his palm, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb.

"They don't want me anymore." He whispers, and he looks like he is embarrassed, and she doesn't understand.

"Who doesn't want you? What do you mean?" She is curious now, and she doesn't know where to place his statement.

"Black Pawn" She searches her head for information, trying to figure out where she had heard that before. After a moment she remembers, and her eyebrows rise in surprise.

"Your publishing company?"

He nods, and he opens his mouth to speak, but then closes it, still torn on what to say. She waits patiently, holding back the questions, not letting her curiosity take over. If he wants to talk he will. She won't pressure him into doing so.

"You know I killed off Derrick Storm, right?"

"Yeah, of course. We talked about it a lot."

"Ever since then I had writer's block, and they threatened to end our deal if I didn't publish anything." He pauses for a bit, hesitating. "Recently I started a new book, and I sent them the first couple of chapters. They said it was not good, and since I couldn't come up with anything else they ended it. They said it was inevitable anyway, because they couldn't send me on book tours anymore like this."

She finds it hard to believe that anyone would be stupid enough to turn down Richard Castle, but she doesn't doubt what he says.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" her tone is soft, and as he looks at her she wonders why he is nervous.

"Well, it just happened yesterday, and…" He trails off, looking away, and now she really wants to know what is behind all of this.

"Rick, what is it?" her voice a little stronger now, urging him to just spill it out.

"This new book I've told you about… It's based on you."

Her breathing stops and her heart skips a beat. She doesn't know how to react. What does that even mean?

"Kate?" his voice is filled with fear, and she realizes that he can't see her.

"Why?" she wants to ask so many questions, she has so much to say, but that is the only thing that comes out. It's all what matters at the moment.

"Because you are extraordinary." Her heart drops to her stomach as she takes in his words. "I can't stop thinking about you. Ever since my accident, people have started keeping distance. Even if they don't say it, I can feel that they are uncomfortable around me. You act like I'm no different, like I'm normal. You don't even know how much that means to me. That I can talk to you and share what's on my mind. And you are enthralling, and everything you say and do is remarkable. I wrote that story based on what you've told me, and I think it's the best that I have ever done. The character speaks to me, and it feels so good to write again. But now I don't know what to do."

She listens carefully to every word he says, but her mind is unable to process it all. All she can register is that he is downcast, and she wants to change that somehow.

"Would you want to have dinner with me?" the question is out before she even realizes what she said, but he reacts immediately as his body raises, and the shocked expression on his face is somewhat funny.

"Are you asking me out?" he is careful, afraid to misinterpret her question, but he really hopes that she said it like he wants her to.

She blushes at his question, for once thankful that he can't see it.

"I guess, yeah." her voice is low, but he chuckles at her answer.

"Kate Beckett is asking me out on a date." She laughs when he pumps his fist in the air, so much like a little boy.

"Pick you up at 7 tomorrow?" He simply nods with a huge smile on his face.

She glances at her watch, and even though she would like to stay she has work tomorrow, and she needs to get some rest, so she stands up slowly, her legs a little numb from the sitting. He stands up with her, aware of her actions.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go now. Good night, Rick."

"It's okay. Go. I want to stay a little longer. I won't be able to sleep tonight anyways." She laughs at that, and his smile must be contagious because she can't stop grinning now. "Good night Kate."

She kisses his cheek and walks away, and she laughs at how much it's like that first night as she sees him frozen, with his mouth open.


She looks at her watch for the hundredth time today, waiting for her shift to finally end. She wants to go home and get ready for their evening.

She leaves the precinct the minute she finishes, finally on her way home.

She is ready by 6:30, and as she sees that she still has time, she picks up one of his books, and gets lost in it. The knock on the door takes her by surprise, and as she glances at her watch she sees that it's still only 6:50.

As she opens the door she sees Alexis standing there, Castle not far behind her.

"Alexis, Rick, what are you doing here?"

"We came by earlier to talk about some safety measures. I know I can trust you with dad, but we wanted to go over some stuff anyway."

She nods, and gestures to come in, not realizing that she still has his book in his hand. Alexis notices it as she walks by, and she grins at her while putting a finger in front of her mouth, promising that she won't tell him.

They head out in a couple of minutes, and she wraps her arm around his as they walk, feeling him relax next to her. She waves down a cab, and helps him inside. Oh, when he finds out where she is taking him…


So what happened to Castle? Where is she taking him? Please review and let me know what you think! :)

Thanks for reading!