The car service with Alexis and Jenny arrived on Tuesday at the same time as Kate. Alexis got out of the car and ran to embrace her father while Jenny got out the other side to kiss Kevin. Kate got out of her truck a little bit slower. After getting the hellos over with Rick brought the two of them over to meet Kate.
"Kate Beckett, chef extraordinaire, this is my favorite girl in the world; my daughter Alexis." Kate looked down at the red headed girl who still had one arm around her father and reached out to shake hands.
"My dad's told me a lot about you; it's great to finally meet you."
"Glad to meet you Alexis. Your father tells me that you are pretty much the adult in the family." Alexis laughed at that. "That is kind of true Dad." Rick just growled at Alexis which made her laugh.
Rick then indicated over towards where Jenny was hanging onto Kevin. "And that beautiful woman over there is Kevin's wife." Jenny came over to the group, "Kate, great to meet you. I've heard a lot about how you saved the day when you rode in on your white horse."
Kate just looked at Kevin, "Truck. I said white truck." Kevin answered.
Rick just smiled and looked back at Kate; "How was your rehab and appointment." They started moving further into the camp as Kevin and Jenny when their own way.
"Rehab was fine but something's come up. During the accident I damaged my shoulder. The doctor told me I'm strong enough now to have shoulder arthroscopic surgery. So I go under the knife in a few weeks. I'll be in the hospital for a couple of days and then I'll be able to supervise cooking but I won't be able to use my arm for about a week." Kate sighed, "I'm sorry about this Castle, according to the doctor I'm recovering ahead of schedule and doing great in therapy. I didn't expect this for at least another month or two."
Rick was just shaking his head.
"Kate, it's not a problem; we have the Lambs who can help out. You just worry about getting better." She smiled that big smile that lit up her eyes making Castle stop in his tracks.
"Thanks Castle, I'm going to get started on supper." Kate vanished into the cafeteria while Rick just stood looking at where she had gone until he was aware of his daughter speaking.
"So, that's the extraordinary Kate Beckett."
"Huh, what?" He brought himself back to the present.
Alexis just laughed, "Dad, you're really wrapped up in her aren't you." Rick thought of various dodges but he always liked being honest with his daughter.
"I don't know Alexis; there's something about her. Something…" His search for woods was cut off when the cafeteria door opened and closed and Jo came out.
"Hey, Mr. Castle. My mom said I should come out here."
"Jo Beckett, please allow me to introduce you to my daughter. The one, the only, Alexis Castle!" Alexis just rolled her eyes, "Dad!" Jo just giggled.
"Alexis I have to go train; Jo can you get her settled and show her the camp?" Jo just nodded, "You got it Mr. Castle. Come on Alexis."
Rick watched the two girls heading off talking a mile a minute to each other. He glanced over where Roger was holding his daughter's bags, "Just follow the two of them Roger. And good luck." Roger just smiled back and started after the two. He often wished his kids were as well behaved as Alexis.
Rick went back to training until dinner that night; homemade pizzas with Barbara and Sophie's chocolate éclairs for dessert. Afterwards Kate and Jo went home and Rick went back to his cabin. He found Alexis watching a documentary on TV; he shook his head. He'd have to talk to Richie about his influence on his daughter.
"Hey Honey, how are you?" Alexis paused the documentary and sat back on the couch. "I'm good, how are you. You sound a lot more, I don't know, lively." She turned her head. "Does that have something to do with Kate Beckett?"
Rick settled down next to her, "There's just something about her. We talk, about everything. She's not a groupie or a gold digger. She's, she's… well she's wonderful."
They sat in silence for a minute, listening as the rain began to fall on the roof. "Alexis, I think I'd like to see Kate. If that's ok with you." He looked at her and Alexis smiled on the inside. Talking to her Dad the last couple of days he hadn't been talking about training or what Kevin and Javi had gotten up to. He had been talking about Kate.
"Dad, I think that if you think there's something there you should go for it. I like her." Richard leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Thanks pumpkin; I don't want to rush. I rushed with Gina and that, well, that wasn't good." Alexis laughed at that, "Dad, missing your flight isn't good, forgetting your wallet at a restaurant isn't good, Gina was a disaster." She reached over and hugged him, "I really do like her. And Jo is so cool; we're going to go exploring tomorrow. She's going to show me around the camp and around town." Rick gave her a final hug, "Ok. Well finish your documentary but be in bed by midnight."
"Dad, I'll finish it but I'll be in bed by ten." Rick only smiled at her, "How did I get such a great daughter." Alexis only waved at him and started her show up again. Richard went to bed that night listening to the rain and thinking of Kate.
The days and nights passed in peace and tranquility. Rick concentrated on his training while Alexis and Jo became thick as thieves. More and more Rick found himself spending the time after dinner with Kate, Jo and Alexis. It was interesting and he learned a lot.
He learned that Kate was as good a poker player as he was. He learned that Jo could make one of those super loud call a cab whistles. He learned that Kate and Jo were Monopoly grandmasters. He learned that while playing Risk his nice sweet daughter would turn into Genghis Khan and unleash war and devastation across the face of the world. He learned that the soon to be regular Friday night Dairy Queen runs involved a lot more ice cream then he had initially thought. He also learned that he was becoming more and more entranced with Kate.
The Sunday afternoon before Kate had to go to the hospital she tracked down Rick as he was lifting weights in the gym to ask about dinner. She stopped for a few minutes just inside the door and watched him pump iron in a ratty gray t-shirt and gym shorts. Shorts that were a little too tight. She sighed. If she was honest with herself Rick's outside was nice but his inside was even better. He was loyal, funny, sharply intelligent, could engage in a heated conversation one moment and be a great listener the next. For someone whose job was to beat people up he could be wonderfully kind and considerate. She had found out that Eddie's scar was from a car wreck that had cost him the sight in his left eye and ended his career. Rick had barely known Eddie but gave him a job so he wouldn't have to beg. Alison and Danielle had planned a honeymoon to Niagara Falls to save money but when Rick found out he paid for a month in Greece with a few weeks on the Isle of Lesbos.
She shook off her thoughts; it wasn't easy. Sometimes she'd see Jo staring at her and know that she had been caught staring at Rick. She was developing way too many feelings for him. He was the champion of the world and she was a deputy sheriff in a one horse town. She shook off those thought and asked about dinner; some of the people at the camp had wanted better Mexican food than the local bell and Rick agreed. After a few more hours of working out he grabbed a shower and entered the cafeteria to find that Kate and the women with Andrea grilling had created a masterpiece. They had made a Mexican Mixed Grill consisting of chicken thighs, pork shoulder, and skirt steak with several sides and three milk cake for dessert. Everyone voted and Andrea was chosen as the week's winner. For her movie she chose Practical Magic. They all settled in with popcorn and sodas enjoying the show. When Nicole Kidman said the line 'what wouldn't I do… for the right guy' Kate looked over at Rick. He had Alexis next to him and they were stealing popcorn from each other. She smiled at them; the line echoing in her thoughts. She could easily see Rick as the right guy.
During lunch the next day the lambs had made sub sandwiches and Rick, Kevin, Jenny, and Javi were sitting around in Kevin's office talking and having lunch. "Hey champ, what's with the pensive look?" Javi had to call Rick two more times before he noticed him.
"Sorry Javi, just distracted. I just keep thinking we should do something nice for Kate. She's done so much for us. I mean I know we're paying her but I don't know, something."
Jenny finished the mouthful of sandwich she had in her mouth. "Rick, Kevin told me about the rib dinner you had at her place the day you met her."
"Those were great ribs honey." Kevin said wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"And you told me afterwards that Rick and Javi had to do the dishes because she didn't have a dishwasher. Why don't you get her one?"
All three men looked at each other and smiled.
"Jenny that's a great idea." Rick said as Kevin leaned over and kissed her. "Could you order a dishwasher, stainless steel; I know this town has a Sears and they'll install it as well."
Jenny nodded, "I'd be happy to. It's a nice gift; it thanks her for all her hard work without being something overpriced that would embarrass her like a new car or something." She noticed the look in Rick's eyes. "Rick you didn't."
"No of course not, I was just thinking about it." He ignored the smiles of the other people. "Jo is staying with Lanie so we can get her to let us in. Javi why don't you go out and pick them up when it's time to get it installed." Javi had a look of confusion on his face. "Why me, why not some of the security people?" Kevin answered that. "Because Lanie isn't interested in any of the security people." Javi lit up. "Really, you mean she might be-." He wiped away the smile. "I mean sure, I can do that." Rick Kevin and Jenny just laughed. Javi just sighed, "I am so busted." Rick just answered, "Javi it's great. If you find a connection with someone you need to pursue it. Love's too rare to pass up." Kevin spoke up, "So what about your connection to Beckett?"
Rick looked like a deer caught in headlights, "What connection, we just talk." Javi snorted at that. "Come on Rick, even Lanie sees it and she just met you. By the way she's Beckett's best friend and says if you do anything to hurt her you will die in agony and as the county coroner they'll never find your body."
Rick looked at all three staring at him and threw himself back in his chair and sighed. "Ok, there is something. But I don't know what to do. After the fight with Foster I'll be back in the city and she'll be out here doing her sheriff thing." Kevin leaned forward completely serious.
"Rick, we all know that if things work out you only have three fights left. You have the Foster fight coming up. When you win you have that automatic challenge against Anton Kerchenko next summer and then you could do your last fight in early January. After that you'll be done. You'll be Mr. Fifty; you won't have anything left to prove." Rick thought on that when Jenny spoke up.
"I'm sorry, what's Mr. Fifty?"
Javi answered, "One of the greatest records in all of boxing. Rocky Marciano forty-nine wins forty-three knockouts and zero losses. Richard 'King' Castle has forty-seven wins forty-two knockouts and zero loses. If things go right in these next three fights Richard Castle will retire as the greatest fighter of all time.
"Record wise." Richard added. "There were so many great fighters before me. Ali, Louis, Foreman, and Marciano himself. But yeah, if I win these next three fights I'll be done."
"I thought there was a boxer who had seventy something wins?"
Kevin nodded, "Yes Jenny, George Foreman, but he also lost some fights. No, if Richard wins the next three fights he'll do something that no one's ever done."
Jenny looked at him, "So what do you want to do when you're done?" Richard thought, "Well, this probably sounds dumb. But I'd like to write. I've always liked spy movies; you know Bond and Bourne. I'd like to try and write something like that."
"Hey champ, you can do anything you want to. If you feel like putting words on paper then do it." Javi said.
Kevin broke in, "Yeah, it's not like anyone's going to make fun of you." Javi finished the thought, "Not if they want their face still attached to their head." The two fist bumped on that while Richard laughed.
"Ok, this is getting way too serious. I'm going to concentrate on the Foster fight and then Kate Beckett. If I do become Mr. Fifty and I write; well I could write anywhere. Even here at a summer camp."
The others nodded and after finishing off the subs Rick and Javi headed out to the heavy bag. Kevin got on the phone to work out some marketing plans for the upcoming fight and Jenny told Kevin that she was going to go for a swim in the indoor pool. At the heavy bag Rick let Javi adjust his gloves and then started hitting it. He had done this so many times before that it was automatic. Normally while he pounded on it he'd let his mind wander but today the only think he kept thinking about was Kate Beckett and that smile.