AN: I don't own anything to do with Castle beside the DVD's, a phone case and a home made copy of Castle Monopoly :)

OH. MY. GOD. THANK YOU! Thank you everyone that has faved, followed and reviewed. In a year on fan fiction I have never had such a response to any story that I have written. 71 followers on 1 chapter, how is that even possible? The Castle fandom really is the nicest one in the world! Thank you again and please take this chapter as a reward for your niceness.

FYI: Updates will be normally on Wednesdays but this is just a little reward!

So I hope you enjoy!

It's too cold outside,

For Angel's to fly...

CHAPTER 2

"Okay so first things first we need to crack this code and get into this phone. Only then can we find a number that we can use to ring her."

The duo had once again found themselves seated at the library table. Alexis was lent over with her chin held up on one hand watching as her father plotted. She was used to this considering that he was always talking about his latest mystery novels with her and her gram.

Her father tapped his fingers lightly against the tabletop before he turned to his daughter. "So you've talked to her, do you have any idea what four letter number she'd use as a code?"

The red head shrugged and let her mind wander. What would she use as a code? An age? A date? Oh a birthday. Sitting up straight she smiled at her father. "Maybe dad she used her birthday or something. She looked at least twenty-one or twenty-two if you'd like to know."

Richard Castle returned the child's smile. "So that is the best theory, how did my daughter turn into such a little genius?" He paused for a second to think he let his mind work as a calculator. "…1978 or 1979" he let his fingers do the talking as he keyed in the latter. The phone vibrated angrily and deleted the four numbers as it glared back at him. He chuckled to himself and keyed in the first year. The phone accepted him and he smiled. Step one of the master plan complete.

"Can I see, can I see?" Alexis' tone grew louder as she peered over her father's shoulders in order to try and catch a glimpse of Kate's phone.

"Shhh," Castle let a finger rise to his lips impersonating a librarian from an old movie before moving the phone into his child's line of sight. The author slid through the pages and eventually settled on her woman's contacts. Clicking in he was met with a surprising lack of numbers. Most twenty-one year old women would have heaps of friends but this girl had next to none. A Jim Beckett 'dad' was the first on the list, followed by a few NYPD contacts and then a Lanie Parish. Tapping on Jim Beckett he signalled silence from the girl as he listened to the dial tone ringing in the phone. After a few minutes of continuous beeps he was met with a message bank. After the bleep sounded he spoke quickly into the receiver.

"Hi my name's Richard and I've found your daughter's phone in a public library. Could you please ring me back on the number which I will text you and we'll organise something from there."

He pressed the end call button and quickly texted his number to Kate's father. "Well what do you think, should we text another number just for good measure?"

Alexis crumpled her face, "Dad why don't we just wait for her daddy to reply instead of telling the world."

Castle smiled, "Yeah I agree, that sou…"

The writer was cut off mid sentence by a loud ringtone that blared from the phone's tiny speakers. He dropped it against the table and was met by angry glances from the library's other occupants. Feeling a touch sheepish he slid across the answer bar and held the phone to his ear waiting for a voice to travel through.

"Whoever you are I want you to put my phone down exactly where you found it and tell me where it is. I am with the NYPD and if you don't do as I say serious charges may follow…" The voice cut down the line and rippled through Castle's system.

Alexis' eyes lit up, she sat up straighter then she had all day and she grabbed the phone eagerly from her father's hands. "Kate it's you!" The little girl announced into the receiver.

Castle listened in from beside his daughter and heard that the cop's voice suddenly became a few notches softer. "Alexis? What are you doing with my cell phone?"

"Well you hurried away when your walkie talkie beeped and you forgot all about your phone. My daddy and I found it and we had to crack the code in order to get in and ring your daddy to tell him that we found your phone."

"Did you just say you rung my dad?" The detective's voice became hoarse and somewhat distant.

"Yeah, why is that bad or something?" Alexis and her father were equally confused as they listened into the cell, which was now on speakerphone.

Pausing as though she was contemplating what to say Kate became silent, "Well he's busy so he probably wouldn't be able to pick up." Her answer became rushed almost as though she was lying.

"Okay that's good!" Now Alexis' tone was back to the stereotypical candy rainbow type voice.

Richard could picture a smile coming from the other end of the line as he heard the lady comment yet again on the cuteness of his daughter's monkey before asking for Alexis to pass the phone over to her dad. Richard took the phone and held it to his ear. "Yeah it's her dad here," he reassured the detective quickly as he waited for her response.

"Well I'm Kate and I'm pretty sure you have a lovely little girl there," she began speaking slowly in an almost sultry New York drawl, "I was wondering where we could meet so I could pick up my cell, it's pretty important that I get it back for work and all."

Rick liked the woman's voice and immediately he craved to see what she looked like. "Well maybe we could meet up at that little ice cream place on the same street as this library."

He heard the cop chuckle into the phone, "As long as it's okay with Alexis."

"I'll ask her now," Castle paused as he looked toward his daughter. "Lex you want to go meet Kate at the ice cream shop just down the street so we can give her phone back?"

The girl smiled and gave her dad a silent thumbs up. "Yeah she's okay with that," Castle let his lips curve upwards as the policewoman said a quick goodbye. After hanging up the phone he tucked it into his jacket pocket before grabbing his daughter by the hand.

"Come on Lex, part three of the operation: Returning the phone."

X-X-X-X

Alexis skipped along just before her father as she hurried into the nearby ice cream shop. This was one of those new places that sold special Italian Gelato and she always went there with her daddy after school on Fridays. She'd only been yesterday but she didn't mind considering that she really wanted to try some new flavours. She peered over her shoulder checking that her daddy was still following before hurrying into the ice creamery. She scanned her eyes over the room and let them fall on Kate. She turned around to face her father quickly and let her arm move forward to point. "That's her daddy."

Castle followed her arm with his eyes and let them settle on the policewoman who was supposably Kate. She had long light brown hair scooped into a high ponytail. She was dressed in a police uniform; maybe one of a traffic cop, and the blue material covering every inch of her didn't hide her long toned legs and perfect curves. Rick let his eyes meet with the piercing green ones of the young woman.

He began walking closer but his child had already outrun him and had seated herself right beside Kate. Kate didn't look like the type that loved children but his little fiery red head seemed to have already imprinted on her. Rick approached and pulled out a chair. As he cleared his throat he saw that his baby was hugging this woman. Usually he'd be furious and very worried if his child was hanging about with strangers but something about this lady and the almost lost vacant look in her eyes made it seem that she would never do anything to hurt his child.

Katherine looked up at Rick and as her eyes scanned over him they seemed to widen as though she had seen him before. "A…Are you Richard Castle?" She stammered over her words.

Usually his playboy persona would come on by now in order to try and impress, if not seduce, the fan but today it was different. Rick just smiled slowly in a respectful way and began to talk. "So are you a fan of my novels?" He knew that this was a very stupid question to ask considering Kate's original statement but he went ahead with it anyway.

Kate just moved her head slowly in an up and down motion that some people may interpret as a nod. "Well I've always enjoyed crime novels and one day I just came across yours in a bookshop." She was smiling slightly at her favourite author as she twisted a strand of hair around a single finger. Her statement though was very far from the truth. In reality she had entered a bookshop on the verge of tears just two weeks after her mother's murder and she had headed straight for the dark crime novels in search for another case that would take her mind off the one at hand. After a while of searching and feeling that it was hopeless she had sat down cross-legged on the floor and began to sob quietly. With each and every sob her back, which was in a concave position, slowly bumped against the shelf behind her and with the added force a book tumbled from its position between all the others. She looked down at the cover of the novel and saw that it was by Richard Castle who was an author that she had never heard of before. As she read the back cover she was intrigued and up until today she pinned that as a complete coincidence.

Katherine smiled slowly at the author and as he nodded back at her she suddenly wondered whether it was fate. She slowly took her mobile from Castle's hand and watched as her favourite author turned to look at his little girl.

"Daddy I'm hungry." Announced a little voice as Alexis looked up at her father. He saw that her blue eyes were now wandering to the trays of ice cream that were under the glass topped counter and he had to admit that he was starting to feel a touch peckish himself.

Castle rose from his seat and flashed his daughter a quick smile, "So pumpkin are there any flavours that you would like in particular?"

Alexis bounced about vibrantly as she peered over yet again at the rainbow of colours. "Well…" she began trailing off slowly "I'd like two flavours on a cone, rocky road and mango."

Castle took a mental note of his child's request before deciding on his own, "I think I'd like a Baci and a boysenberry in a cup."

Alexis giggled to herself, "But daddy you always get exactly the same flavours, you're very, very boring." She made a face at her father, "Daddy what about Kate?"

Castle tried to look offended but it ended up coming out like a smile before turning to face the detective. She was twiddling a loose strand of hair around a thin finger and looking down at her boot clad feet. "Rum and Raisin. One scoop. Cup. Thank you Castle." Despite the fact that she spoke in short sharp sentences and didn't look up he could still tell that she was grateful. He also observed that at that moment it was as though she was on another planet instead of just across the table.

Castle hurried over to the counter and claimed the order. Upon his return it seemed as though Kate had transformed. A one hundred watt smile filled her face and her eyes had lit up. He seemed to have shaken her with his author question but it seemed that she had forgotten it by now.

"Two gelatos, one cone and one cup." He spoke like a waiter as the girl's raised their hands indicating what they ordered. He sat down just beside his daughter and watched them intently.

"Hey Kate do you want to try some of mine? It's really, really yummy and I think you'll like it." Alexis held her cone out to the newcomer and it was greeted with a full smile.

"Well yes as long as that's okay with you and your father, I don't want to eat all your ice cream and then you'll get hungry." She seemed much more animated whilst she talked to Alexis then she had when she was talking to him.

The girl giggled as she let Kate scoop some off with a spoon. "You're okay to share with Kate, it's Monkey Bunkey that we have to worry about…"

"Why? Is he really naughty?" Kate tried to force a shocked face onto her soft pink lips.

"Yep you're absolutely right Kate, he also loves to eat everything."

As if on cue Richard watched as Monkey Bunkey rose from beneath the table and began to 'eat' Alexis and Kate's ice creams. As soon as he was sitting atop the table Rick caught sight Kate's thin finger's tightly clutching the furry toy. The girls suddenly burst into a fit of giggles and Richard, unknowingly, had joined in. As the author laughed Katherine looked up from the tabletop and flashed him a perfect shy smile.

As the trio rose from the seats ready to leave restaurant Rick looked over yet again at Kate, who much to his surprise was already staring at him. He had seen how well the young woman had gotten along with his daughter, who was a very hard nut to crack, and he had also developed a tiny crush on the beautiful cop. He didn't want this to be the last that he ever saw of her. Suddenly he had an idea, the perfect one to reassure the chance to see Kate again. He edged closer to her and tilted his head to the side. "Hey Kate I was wondering if you'd like to come over for dinner this coming Friday? Don't bring anything I'll just make something for the three of us to share."

Katherine's back straightened as she stared distantly toward the author. After about a second of an expressionless glance a smile broke out along her face. "That does sound like fun but I think you should check with Alexis first." Rick was pretty sure the both of them knew what the child's response would be but he asked anyway.

"Lex you want Kate to come over for dinner next Friday?"

She paused for a moment and held her finger to her chin pretending to think before turning back to the adults. "As long as I get to show her my bedroom and all Monkey Bunkey's friends."

Kate bent her knees so she was at Alexis' height and opened her arms for a hug. "So that means I'll see you Friday?"

"Yeah," Alexis laughed as Kate rose to her feet and watched as Castle passed her a napkin. On it was an address, apartment number and a phone number.

"You'll need these, just come by between five and five-thirty." Castle straightened his back and tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"That's fine by me." Kate let off a laugh as she tucked the napkin into her breast pocket and waved to the pair. "See you then."

They waved back and watched as Kate disappeared out the door and into the great big world. They both seemed equally excited about Friday as they hurried out of the shop and back toward their car.

AN: So what do you think? Okay so it may seem that it's a bit odd that Alexis is hugging Kate on their second ever meeting but she's just a sweet little girl that has found a friend in Kate. SPOILER: You'll learn in an upcoming chapter that school isn't a real breeze for our favourite bubbly redhead...

UP NEXT: Dinner at the Castle's loft and an overload of Alexis cuteness!

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