Beckett should probably be creeped out by the guy in the coffee shop. After all, he'd obviously had his scheme all planned out, with running into her so her coffee spilled but didn't get on her at all. Plus he'd obviously had some sort of deal with the baristas that her next cup was on him. But he seemed sweet, and her gut wasn't giving her any bad feelings. She didn't become the youngest female detective because of her striking good looks. Something about the man – Rick – seemed familiar, like she'd met him before, even though she knew she hadn't. She'd remember those blue eyes. It wasn't until she was at home that night, browsing her bookshelf, that it hit her. One minute she was debating between re-reading Storm Rising or Pride and Prejudice, the next she was looking at his face—

Oh.

Rick. As in Richard Castle, best-selling author.

Okay then. No wonder he spent hours in the coffee shop staring at people. A little cliché, but she had heard that he allegedly had writer's block.

Despite herself, she was a little flattered. It had been a very long time since anyone relatively normal had paid attention to her. Well, suspects would often check her out but in a demeaning way, and a few guys had tried to hit on her at the coffee shop. Rick apparently was trying to be polite and not seem too forward. It was sweet, really.

Which was why she found herself walking in a few minutes earlier the next day. She gave her usual order to the barista – she should really know their names by now – but was stopped when she reached for her wallet.

"It's been paid for."

Kate blinked. "Again?"

The girl behind the counter smiled. "Yeah. He likes you. He's been staring at you for weeks – not in a weird way though, I promise."

"Huh." Kate took her coffee over to Rick's table, where he was hunched over a notebook, writing furiously. "You know, sitting like that for long periods of time can cause back problems."

Rick jumped at the sound of her voice. "Thanks for the advice," he said with a smile. "Good morning, Beckett Kate Beckett."

Kate smiled despite herself. "Good morning, Rick don't tell anyone I'm famous Castle," she threw back sitting across from him.

He raised an eyebrow. "You looked me up?"

"Stumbled across one of your books."

"Uh-huh." He glanced at his watch. "You're early."

"You keeping track?"

"No. Just observant."

Kate leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her latte to contemplate her next move. This felt like a chess match. They'd only talked to each other for a few minutes, total. And after her last failed relationship, there was no way in hell she was going to open up too soon. "You know, most women would find that creepy, clocking their coffee habit."

Rick mirrored her pose. "But you're not most women."

"True." They sat like that for a full minute, just looking at each other, sizing each other up. Finally, Kate broke the silence. "I better go. Thanks for the coffee. Again."

"You're welcome. Tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Good morning."

Rick looked up to see Kate standing in front of him, latte in hand. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were stalking me."

Kate smiled and sat across from him. "I'm pretty sure you're the one stalking me. You've bought my coffee every morning, Rick. Do I get to buy yours one of these days?"

"No."

"No?"

"No. But I'll let you buy me lunch."

Kate's eyebrows shot up. "Lunch?"

"Am I speaking too quietly, Detective? You keep repeating what I say."

Kate shook her head in amusement, catching the glint in Rick's eyes. Most of the guys she'd dated had been serious, but her and Rick had been trading barbs and getting to know each other every morning for a week, and she found Rick charming. Plus, he was the first guy in a long time who didn't think her occupation was intimidating. He actually thought it was cool. "I have a better idea: how about we get out of here and get some breakfast?"

It was Rick's turn to raise an eyebrow. "You don't have to rush off to work?"

"Nope, I'm off today."

"Wait a second. It's your day off, you can probably do whatever you want, and you're still here at—" He glanced at his watch. "—7:15?"

Kate shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a creature of habit."

Twenty minutes later they were sitting in a diner a few blocks away, Rick shrugging off his coat. "So," he started, breaking the silence they had walked in, "what does Detective Kate Beckett typically do on her day off? When she's not hanging out with a handsome, best-selling author, of course."

Kate chuckled. "This is going to sound pathetic."

"Not possible."

"I usually run errands or finish paperwork."

"Finish paperwork as in, go into work?"

"Yeah." Kate felt her cheeks flush. "Lame, right?"

Rick studied her for a few moments. "Not lame," he said quietly, so quietly she almost didn't hear him. "That shows how dedicated you are. You're probably so focused during the case that you let the paperwork go unnoticed, so you can put all your energy towards finding killers."

Kate grew silent at his observation. Their interactions over the past week had primarily been shallow, joking, touching on the basics but not delving into anything too personal. How he'd figured that out…either he was really perceptive or she was losing her touch.

The food arrived, providing a welcome distraction. Kate ate slowly, hoping to delay the suddenly serious conversation as long as possible. Rick, however, had a different idea. He finished his food in minutes.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" he asked after wiping his mouth.

Kate nodded around a mouthful of eggs and swallowed before answering. "Sure."

"Why'd you become a cop?"

She hesitated for a moment. "I wanted to have a hand in serving justice."

"No." Rick leaned forward in his seat. "Well, yes, but there's more than that, I know."

"No you don't."

Rick stared at her silently for almost a full minute, watched her shift uncomfortably, refusing to meet his eyes. "You get justice for others because you couldn't get justice in your own life. This—" He took her left hand in his right and gestured at her watch. "—this is a men's watch. You wear it every day. Probably got it from a family member. Your necklace stays hidden most of the time, although you play with it sometimes while waiting in line. The ring at the end has special meaning – it sits close to your heart." He ignored the urge to wipe away the single tear that had escaped her eye, but didn't let go of her hand. "You lost someone. Someone close – mother? Sister?"

"My mom," she whispered.

"I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

"Let me guess: they never found her killer. You don't seem like the type to sit back and wait for results. Or, you thought you could solve it. So you became a cop to seek justice for your mom." Rick sat, silent, as he watched Kate compose herself. It took all of his willpower not to slip in next to her and pull her into his arms and whisper that it was okay, because it wasn't. Not when she was obviously still hurting.

Finally, Kate fought back the tears in her eyes and took a sip of her water. "That's, uh, that's pretty good." Then, suddenly she stood, placed some money on the table, and grabbed her coat. "I should go."

"Wait." Rick rushed after her, almost knocking over their waitress in process. He caught up with her just outside the door. "Kate, wait. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed—"

"No, it's fine," Kate insisted, a little too forcefully. "It's not that. I just – I should go. Bye."

Rick could only watch as she walked away.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews, faves, and follows! I am terrible at thanking you all individually, but I read each and every one of them and they make my day.