Hi, everyone. First of all, I want to say a huge thanks to everyone who followed and/or favourited either me or this story, as well as those of you who reviewed. From what I interpreted, people didn't think this was going to be a oneshot, as I intended for it to be. But, I'll explain at the end of this chapter what I'm going to do. For now, enjoy!
Kate didn't believe in being 'fashionably late'. There was no such thing, in her opinion. It was just an excuse to watch the end of a show or finish the chapter of a book before getting ready for a date. There was nothing fashionable about that. That was why she arrived at Richard's house fifteen minutes early.
Her jaw hung low when she took in the house; three stories, fifteen windows and a front wooden porch that made her envious. "Wow." She rattled her fist against the soft plastic door, running her other hand across the brass doorknob. She'd never hated her one bedroom apartment as much as now.
A tall woman with permed red hair answered with a bright smile. "Hello, dear. How can I help you? You're Richard's date, aren't you? He told us you'd be here."
"Yes, I'm Kate. Sorry I'm early. Should I come back?" the younger woman replied, nervously brushing a stray lock of hair back.
"Oh no, Kate. Come on in. Alexis and I are just watching TV. You can join us, if you like. I'm Martha, by the way. His mother," the redhead smiled, leading Kate through to the huge living room.
A young girl, fifteen or so, smiled at her from the sofa. "Hi, Kate. I'm Alexis, Rick's daughter. He'll be home soon; he and Javi were helping Kevin with something." She held out her hand, which Kate took and shook it.
"Daughter?"
"Oh, didn't he tell you about Alexis? That's not like him. There's no problem with that, is there?" Martha frowned.
"Of course not. What was he helping out with?" Beckett shook her head with a small smile. She'd only just met Rick; she hadn't told him everything either.
His mother looked thoughtful. "I think he mentioned that Kevin had a bit of an accident doing something; I'm not sure what. I hope the young man's ok. I like him."
"He and Javier helped me change a tyre. That's how I met Rick," Kate nodded.
The door swung open. Richard grinned at the sight of her. "Kate! You're here! Good. Let me just get changed. I'll only be a minute."
True to his word, he jogged downstairs dressed in a striped shirt and jeans, and his hair brushed neatly back in only a few minutes.
Just as he sat down next to Kate, Martha and Alexis bounced up as one. "Alright, you two, we're going to see a film. Don't wait up," the older woman smiled and pulled on her jacket, then wrapped an arm around Alexis as they left.
Castle waved to them. "I hope they didn't interrogate you too much. How long have you been here?"
"They were fine. It's only been about ten or fifteen minutes. What happened with Kevin? Is he ok?" Kate replied calmly. She couldn't help but be concerned for the young man. It felt like she'd been friends with him for years.
"Oh, he's fine. There was an incident at work, and he burned his shoulder a little bit, and was having trouble moving it. Javi and I just had to give him a hand with some stuff. The burns will heal in a few days, probably. Hopefully. He was in a lot of pain," Richard reassured, unconsciously rubbing his shoulder in sympathy. It was almost as though he could feel the same pain.
Kate nodded in understanding. "Why didn't you tell me you've got a daughter? I know we've only just met, but it's something I think you should've mentioned."
"Is there a problem with that? Because if there is, I've got to say; my daughter is the most important woman in my life, more important than any girlfriend I'll ever have, including you. You've got to understand that," Rick sighed. He stood up and strolled into the kitchen, returning with two glasses and a bottle of wine.
"Girlfriend?"
"Yes. That's what we are, right? I mean, we are on a date." He looked unsure as he poured out the alcohol.
Instead of answering, Kate leaned forward and kissed him full on the lips. This was the kiss of a lover, not a one night partner.
Richard pulled back to ask; "Hey, is this a yeah?"
The only reply was another, stronger kiss.
Thanks for making it this far. As I was saying, I intended on this being a oneshot, but the reviews I received talked about a second chapter, as did the number of follows (thanks for them!). So, I wrote this up today. What I'm going to do for now is mark this as complete, but I'll keep trying to continue this. Hopefully I'll think of something else. Thanks for reading, and leave a review if you like! Tally-ho (another phrase I'll never say in real life)!