A/N: I can not say thank you enough for everyone who favorited, alerted, and reviewed this story! It is always good to know that other people like your story as much as you do! I hope you like this next installment as well! Definitely some fluff…like I said, it's going to be very, very fluffy.
Disclaimer: If you really didn't know…I don't own them. Or profit from them. They just keep me from going crazy at work.
Later that night Kate was curled up on her couch, a glass of wine sitting on the end table, and In a Hail of Bullets sitting on her lap but her eyes weren't focused on the words in the book, but rather the memories of the man and his smile. A knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts and she sighed as she got.
On the other side was a very apologetic looking Lanie Parish.
"So you are still alive," Kate said sarcastically, "I wasn't completely sure."
"I'm a horrible friend," Lanie exclaimed, "I'm so sorry for ditching you today! And especially for not calling to tell you I was going to ditch you. I got called into work, you know I'm aiming for that promotion if Dr. Saroyan leaves for D.C. and I had to go in. I left my phone in my apartment because I was in such a rush and I'm sorry. So, so sorry!"
"It's okay," Kate assured her and led her into the living room. "It ended up not being so bad."
"Really? Do tell?"
"You didn't get my message?"
Lanie laughed, "I came straight from the morgue. My phone is still at home."
"Ah," Kate answered, "I met someone today."
Lanie's eyes grew wide, "Ooo, do you mean a guy? You met a guy? Katherine Houghton Beckett do tell! Was he hot? Did you flirt? Spill!"
"I would if you stopped asking questions for long enough for me to tell you," Kate answered with a laugh. "It's actually someone pretty surprising and I was a little star struck."
"A CELEBRITY!?"
"Lanie shut up! I actually met Richard Castle today."
Lanie's mouth open and closed several times with no sound escaping from between her lips. Kate had never seen her best friend speechless before and she could keep the laugh from bubbling up which broke through Lanie's clouded brain.
"I'm sorry," Lanie said with a shake of her head. "I think I misunderstood you. Did you say that you met Richard Castle as the mall today?"
"That is what I said."
"But…how? I mean, how?"
Kate laughed again, "His daughter actually ran into me on accident and spilled my coffee. He insisted on replacing it."
Lanie was still shaking her head a smile growing on her face. "Wow. Like, wow."
"I know," Kate replied quietly and almost giggling.
"So how was he in real life?"
Kate sighed, "He was…great. So nice and he doted on his daughter and he has the best smile…"
"You like him," Lanie teased in a sing-song voice. "A lot."
"I already liked him."
"You liked him, the writer him. Now you like him, the person him."
"I don't know the person him well enough to say that."
"But you want to."
Kate laughed, "Well sure, who wouldn't?"
"Good point."
"It doesn't matter," Kate replied with a shrug, "it isn't like I'll ever meet up with him again."
"Never know, it could be fate."
"Oh please, you don't believe in fate."
"I never said I didn't believe in fate."
"Forget it," Kate answered, "it did make up for you ditching me."
"I already apologized for that, stop making me feel bad!"
Kate laughed, "Fine. How did you do?"
Lanie beamed, "Great! Found cause of death and gave Detective Jenkins some leads. Dr. Saroyan said she was impressed. I'm really hoping to get the job when she leaves."
"She is for sure leaving?"
"No," Lanie answered, "but everyone thinks she will."
"It'd be a great opportunity for her."
"Yeah," Lanie agreed, "alright, I'm going to go home, shower and fall into bed. I'll make today up to you, promise!"
"It's really okay Lanie," Kate assured her friend with a smile and gave her a quick hug. "Talk to you Monday."
"Enjoy your weekend," Lanie stated. "And you should go see your dad."
Kate shook her head, "We'll see."
"You need to see him Kate."
"I'll think about it."
"Okay," Lanie answered with a nod, "bye."
"Bye."
After Kate locked the door behind Lanie she went back to the living room and curled back up on the couch. She picked up the book and opened it to the title page and let her fingers graze over the ink there.
To Kate, Never give up hope. Richard Castle
She had stood in line for nearly two hours to get her book signed on a warm spring day and though she had originally planned on getting the newest Derrick Storm book signed, which was what the signing was for, she had snuck in the old copy of In a Hail of Bullets that her mother had bought years before. When she had presented it to him he'd looked up surprised but smiled and asked for her name. She had answered with a timid 'Kate' and he scribbled the words on the title page before handing the book back to her with a smile.
She had refused to look at the inscription until she was outside of the large bookstore and when she had tears filled her eyes instantly. She didn't know how he did it, but that inscription was exactly what she needed.
Looking down at the inscription now five years later it still kept her going. It had kept her from allowing herself to drown in the despair that had threatened to take over her life in those first months after her mother's murder.
She knew that Lanie was right and she should go out to Brooklyn to see her dad. It had been months since she had but holidays were always harder for him and he spent most of the time buried in his favorite whiskey.
The tears spilled down her cheeks before she could stop them and she stayed curled up on the couch and let herself cry. She stayed there until she had cried herself to sleep.
When Monday morning finally rolled around Rick was more than ready for the beginning of the week. Alexis had asked about Kate all weekend and when she had mentioned the Detective in front of his mother, Martha Rogers had instantly taken an interest in the woman as well. He had not had fun trying to explain his way out of that with his mother.
And although he had continued to try and talk himself out of looking for her today he hadn't been able to. Once he dropped off Alexis at school he was going to see if a few of his buddies in the NYPD could help him out.
"Daddy!" Alexis' voice called from her room upstairs, "Can you braid my hair?"
"Sure pumpkin," he answered and Alexis started down the stairs dressed in her school uniform and backpack over her shoulders already. "Hop up on the stool."
He placed a plate of scrambled eggs in front of his daughter and encouraged her to start her breakfast while he cleaned up. They both ended at about the same time and Rick quickly fashioned his daughter's hair into two braids.
As a single father there were things he had been quick to discover he would need to learn. How to care for Alexis' hair had been one of those things. Between his mother and a few nice hairstylists that his mother swore by he'd learned how to care for and do several different styles for his daughter's long hair.
"Alright pumpkin," Rick started as he grabbed his wallet, "ready for school?"
"Yup!" Alexis exclaimed happily, "We have a math test today and I have been studying all weekend!"
Rick glanced at his daughter in mock disgust, "how are you my daughter?"
Alexis shrugged, used to his teasing, and retorted, "Someone has to have brains around here."
They both laughed as Rick led her out the door.
A half hour later he was taping his fingers against the counter of a coffee shop around the corner from the 8th Precinct as he waited for Sergeant Kyle Lewis who he had befriended while he did research for a few of his books years ago. They had kept in loose contact over the years and he was whom Rick first thought about when he decided to try and find Kate.
"Richard Castle," Sergeant Lewis greeted with a pat on the back. "It's been too long my friend."
"It has," Rick agreed with a smile. "Thanks for meeting me."
"I was too curious to not," Lewis said. "You said you needed a favor."
"Yes…" Rick answered the one word answer dragging out a bit. "It's not something I'm exactly proud of…"
"Do I need to figure out a way to get some charges dropped against you?" Lewis asked with a laugh and Rick shook his head with a smile. "Okay good, cause I would probably have to say no to that."
"No," Rick assured him, "nothing like that. I'm actually hoping you might be able to tell me what precinct a detective works at."
"Oh really?" Lewis asked sitting back in his chair with his arms crossed. "Which detective?"
"Her name is…"
"Rick."
"What?" Rick asked at Lewis' interruption.
"You want me to look up a girl for you?"
"She's not just any girl Kyle."
"How did you meet her?" Lewis asked his eyes piercing. "Because…I don't know if I can do this for you."
"Alexis ran into her on accident at the mall on Friday and caused her to spill her coffee. I bought her a new one and we started talking and Alexis is enamored with her. The only thing I know is she a detective and her name but…there was just something about her Kyle. I need to find her."
"If this was anyone but you Rick…"
"So you'll do it?"
Kyle sighed and ran a hand over his face, "yes. On one condition."
"Anything."
"Don't call me when you get arrested for stalking."
Rick couldn't help but laugh, "I won't. I wouldn't ask if this was some passing fancy. I just…I need to see her again Kyle. There was a connection and I kicked myself all weekend for not trying to get her number from her. I just…I need to try. I haven't felt this way about anyone in a long, long time."
"Alexis likes her?"
"Alexis hasn't stopped talking about her all weekend. I thought she would forgot about the interaction but I was very wrong."
"Okay," Kyle finally relented, "What's her name."
"Beckett. Kate Beckett."
"I know the name," Kyle answered with a smile and nod. "Only been a detective for a few months now and the youngest female detective on the force. She graduated from the academy with the highest test scores we've seen in a long time. She's being watched a 1PP for all the right reasons."
"So, you'll tell me what precinct she works at?"
"Yeah," Kyle said with a grin, "she's in homicide at the 12th under Roy Montgomery."
"The twelfth," Rick repeated, "okay great. Thanks Kyle, I owe you one."
"Yeah," Kyle agreed with a grin, "And I'll remember that. I gotta get going. Janet says hello and is insisting that you and Alexis come over for dinner again soon."
"Definitely," Rick agreed with a nod of his head. "We'll plan something for after the first of the year. At the latest. Thanks again man, I really appreciate it."
"No problem. Just don't do anything stupid."
"Me?" Rick asked with just a hint of being sarcastic in his voice, "Do something stupid. I don't think you have anything to worry about."
"Right," Lewis said with a chuckle as he stood to leave. "I'll talk to you later."
Rick waited until Lewis was out the door and around the corner before taking the last drink of his coffee and standing. He had a delivery to make.
A/N: I really hope this chapter didn't disappoint! Leave me a little note if you don't mind to let me know what you're thinking. Or what you want to see…I'm always up for suggestions. (Or, if it sucks…tell me that too. Better to know early.)
Anyone else dying for Monday? I'm going crazy waiting!
