Eleven years later...
Castle strolled into the bullpen, only to find himself arrested on the spot, when he saw Kate talking to her apparent new boyfriend.
Josh.
Dr Motorcycle Boy.
Castle shook his head at himself. He'd ranted to his daughter about him a couple of nights ago- when the good doctor had picked Kate up from the precinct and Kate had introduced him- she'd told him to be chivalrous.
It wasn't hard to miss his feelings for her, but this summer had been hard on everyone, and Castle didn't want to rush his detective.
Or himself, if he was totally honest.
After an extended moment leaning in to Josh, talking and giggling, she finally looked up and spotted him, an expression on her face he couldn't place. It looked a little like defiance, a little like hurt and a lot like guilt.
Castle shook himself out of it, and made his way over, depositing her coffee beside her with a polite nod to the doctor.
"I'll see you later, okay? Text me about dinner." Josh murmured, just loud enough for the writer to hear, before cupping the side of Kate's neck and kissing her cheek.
Kate nodded and smiled as he left, before picking up her coffee and turning to Castle.
"Thanks, needed this." She shot him a small smile, before turning back to her desk.
"No problem." He nodded, well aware of the awkwardness between them. "So, anything new in murder land?"
Kate huffed a laugh. "Nope, just paperwork. You don't have to be here, if you don't want to."
Rick shrugged. "Mother and the offspring are out. There's nothing else on my agenda."
"Nice to know we're so high on your list." Kate murmured, logging in her computer to start the day.
Castle smiled. "You're very high on my list, detective."
Kate fought hard to not blush, making the writer's smile grow.
A few hours later, Castle was making paper-clip necklaces, reading Kate's notes aloud, so she could type them up, when his phone buzzed loudly against the desk, making them both startle.
"Sorry." Castle apologised hurriedly, picking up his phone and answering it in one move. "Hello?"
Kate tuned him out as he wandered towards the Break Room to take the call.
"Gina." She whispered to herself, the word sounding bitter even to her own ears.
It was several minutes later, where Kate had tried to not eavesdrop on his harsh tones coming from behind the closed door, when Rick came out and dropped his cell into the pocket of his jacket, on the back of his chair.
"Everything okay?" Kate asked gently.
Rick shrugged. "Not really." He shook his head as he rolled down his sleeves, Kate feeling a tiny spark of disappointment when he put his arms away. "Gina needs me in a meeting I completely forgot about and can't really get out of."
Kate shrugged a shoulder. "Annoyed because you actually have to do your job?"
"Ha ha, no." Rick smiled. "No, I need to go pick my kid up in an hour and I won't be able to get there and mother has an audition, so needs to leave as soon as they're done, and I now have to find someone to pick her up." He sighed frustratedly, shrugging on his jacket, plucking his phone out, presumably to call in a favour.
"I, I could do it?" Kate suggested hesitantly, shocking them both.
"Don't you have to work?" Castle asked cautiously.
"I'll talk to Montgomery, take a half day. It's fine. If, I mean, if you wanted me to?"
"If you could Kate, you'd be an absolute life saver." He gushed, making the detective's chest warm at the use of her first name.
"It'll be fine. I'll go talk to him now. Text me the address, yeah?"
"You're brilliant. Absolute life saver. She's great, you'll love her." Rick impulsively leaned in and kissed her cheek before running towards to elevator.
Kate sat frozen for a few seconds, caught completely off guard by the physical contact, before pulling herself together and going to talk to her Captain.
Kate pulled up at the address Castle had texted her, and took a moment to breathe.
It was just Castle's daughter.
It wasn't like this was a big deal.
Except that it was.
Because this was the first time she'd met the girl.
Because this was the first time that he'd asked her to do anything this important for him.
He trusted her to bring his daughter home safely and that was huge.
She shook her head at herself, before grabbing her bag and getting out the car.
"Man up, Kate." She murmured to herself.
She was leaning against the wall casually, her head tilted upwards, trying to soak up as much of the sun as she could, before she had to trap herself back in her car, when she heard Martha's voice.
"Trust me, Kate is a wonderful person. And besides, there's nothing to be nervous about. Your father will be done in an hour or so, and Detective Beckett is only going to take you home and stay with you until he arrives. There's nothing to worry about, sweet girl."
Kate stood up properly and grabbed the door just as Martha reached it.
"Oh, thank you, Kate." She smiled, as Kate did, before walking past her.
A few seconds passed, Kate still holding the door for Castle's daughter, who had obviously been with her grandmother a few moments before, when Martha shot Kate an apologetic look and turned back to the door.
"Darling, will you come on? There is nothing to be afraid of, and I need to get going, my girl. I'm sure Kate doesn't want to be standing on the street, until your father arrives, either."
Kate felt her chest tighten.
The girl was so afraid of her that she didn't want to see her?
What had Castle told her?
She heard a sigh before the young girl exited the building, wheelchair and all.
Her caramel curls covered her face, as she wheeled herself out of the door and over to her grandmother to hug her goodbye. Martha hugged her back and kissed the top of her head, before turning to Kate.
"Thank you for this, Kate." She smiled warmly. "Richard shan't be long, and his darling daughter will be an angel for you, I'm sure. Should you have any problems though, we both have our cell phones."
Kate nodded, accepting the hug from the elder woman. "Of course, Martha, but I'm sure we'll be fine."
Martha nodded with a maternal smile and kissed the top of the child's head once again, before running to the street and flagging down a cab.
Kate turned to the little girl, apparently in her charge for the next hour or so, and stood silently watching, hoping to let her make the first move.
"Hi." It was the tiniest of whispers, but it was progress none the less.
"Hey. I'm Kate." The detective offered quietly.
The girl nodded. "I know. You work with my dad. He talks about you all the time."
Kate suppressed a smile. "Am I going to be calling you Little Castle, or would you rather tell me your name?" She asked lightly, having no issue with doing this at her pace. Kate wasn't the one left with a stranger right now.
"Becca." She whispered. "My name is Becca." She lifted her head slowly to look the detective up and down. "You're very pretty, Kate." She murmured.
The detective blushed. "Thank you. So are you."
Becca shook her head, her hands nervously pulling at her wheels slightly, making her rock back and forth. "I look like Professor X."
Kate chuckled. "Is that a bad thing?"
Becca shrugged. "It's just temporary, that's what they're saying anyway."
Kate smiled. "That's good, then."
Never sure how long small talk was supposed to go on for, Kate shifted from one foot to the other, anxiously.
"You um, you ready to go home or..." She drifted off, leaving the question open.
Becca didn't move.
"No trouble. We can hang here. I don't mind." Kate smiled, finding herself a little nervous now.
Becca hesitated, before lifting her head completely so Kate could see her face for the first time. "We, we could go. I guess. But uh, you're gonna have to help me get in your car."
Kate smiled softly. "Not a problem, Kiddo."
Author's Note-Yes, Josh is in this, no, Alexis isn't. Everything else will be explained in due course. NYLF xx