Title: Of Finding Innocence

Disclaimer: No Castle ownership. Some other characters I hope to share soon...

Summary: Kate Beckett met Richard Castle once, long ago, at a book signing. What if things had gone differently that day? Castle, but with a large, large twist.

Author's Note: The response to this story has been completely overwhelming. I'm SO glad that you're all enjoying it so much. In that vein, I won't keep you waiting. To dinner, my friends.

Emma


Chapter 4:

Monday was crazy. A double homicide and two very combative suspects had made for a tumultuous day and a large backlog of paperwork. Kate glanced at her clock, head in her left hand, pen squeezed in her cramping right, and sighed. It was 5:10. She needed to leave. She glanced at the files on her desk and shrugged. She'd finish them on Wednesday; they were all her personal records anyway, not the departmentals that needed to go out on the day of.

She began cleaning her desk and Esposito leaned over the aisle. "What's this? Katherine Beckett, clocking out before six?"

"Can it, Esposito," she grumbled. "Some of us have lives, you know." Nosy, inconsiderate little bugger.

"Oh, I know," he leered and Kate shook her head. "I didn't know you did, though."

"You don't know a lot about me, Esposito," Kate replied, standing and donning her jacket. "See you Wednesday."

He gave her a funny look but nodded. "See you Wednesday."

Kate made her way out of the bullpen, waving to the Detectives crowded around the murder board. She passed Egrin on her way into the elevator and they exchanged friendly glances. He was a good guy—her counterpart on the night shift. If he was in a good mood and it was a quiet night, he might even knock some of her paperwork off for her. They did that for each other on occasion.

The rode down to the garage and got into her car, pulling out the address. Traffic was heavy and it took her the better part of twenty minutes to get to SoHo, fidgeting the whole way there. She was excited, but she was nervous, and she felt silly for the first and ridiculous for the second. But the traffic demanded her focus, and she rather happily submitted to mindless, vigilant driving.

When she finally made it to his block and found a parking spot (one of the benefits of driving the crown vic home), she pulled off her NYPD jacket and donned a light, tan coat over her gray tee shirt. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than showing up in her uniform.

She got out of the car and entered the building. No one even gave her a second glance as she walked through. Was he that lax about security…oh, no, the doorman knew who she was; he was smiling and nodding to her. Rick must have told him. It was strange, being known by people she'd never met before. She stepped into the elevator and shook her head. It was extravagant—gilded and full of mirrors. The whole building reeked of understated, tasteful wealth.

She got out on the fifth floor and looked around, spotting 504 a few doors down. She walked up to it and took a deep breath. Was she really about to have dinner with Richard Castle and his daughter? There was a clatter from inside and the sound of girlish giggles. At some point, her mother had mentioned that small children often had a way of brightening the darkness. And as she stood there and felt her lips forming a smile at the sound of Alexis' laughter, Kate thought maybe she understood, just a little.

She knocked.

"I'll get it!"

There was the sound of skidding feet, and then the door opened to reveal Alexis' beaming face. "Hi Kate!"

"Hi, Alexis," Kate smiled as she allowed herself to be tugged into the apartment. "How are you?"

"I'm good!" Alexis said excitedly. "We're having pizza!" She was bouncing up and down, jeans rustling around her skinny legs. Kate found herself so distracted by the girl that she didn't even bother to look around.

"That sounds good," Kate told her as Rick came over to greet her. "Hi," she said as she looked up at him.

"Hi. Thank you for coming," he said, smiling softly. He was relaxed, wearing jeans and an untucked blue button down that brought out his eyes. Richard Castle in his natural habitat.

"Happy to be here." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and then realized that she was still wearing her gun. "Um…"

"Alexis, honey, could you go put the salad on the table?" Rick suggested.

"Sure, Daddy!" she skidded away.

"What's up?"

Kate gave him a grateful smile. "I'm still wearing my G-U-N, and I, uh…where should I put that? I can't leave it in the car." Of all of the dumb things to do, she'd brought a gun to a house with a child. How had that not crossed her mind? She was a police officer. She was supposed to be well versed in safety. He must think…

"That's awesome," he grinned.

"Excuse me?" What?

"I mean, um…little girl, daughter, safe, gun. Right! Come this way?" She laughed despite herself and followed him through the expansive living room. A huge black leather couch occupied the middle of the room, strewn with a number of brightly colored pillows. Two armchairs sat at either end of the low coffee table, and every wall around the room was made of bookshelves. She'd thought her parents had had a lot of books. She'd been wrong.

"We'll be right back, Pumpkin," Rick told Alexis as he beckoned Kate to follow him through a door to what looked like a study.

"Okay!" Alexis said easily.

He closed the door and guided her over to another enormous bookshelf, where he knelt down and opened a safe. "Safety on on that thing?"

"Always, when I'm not on duty," she replied, taking it out of the holster and handing it to him, along with her badge. "Thanks for this. I didn't really think about it. I don't normally remember I've got it on me."

"No problem," he said as he placed the items inside.

The office was as amazing as the living room. He had signed covers of his books along the bureau that covered the width of the back wall, above which sat a picture of an endless spiral staircase. The room was classy, with the same black armchairs as the living room and a huge mahogany desk in the middle, adorned with all manner of trinkets and his computer. God, she was standing here in Richard Castle's study, where he wrote his books.

"I think it's cool."

She considered him as he gestured to the safe, bringing her out of her amazement of the space and the fact that she was there at all. "You're gonna like the fact that I work on the force, aren't you?"

"Gonna? I just got to put a gun into my safe for safety. This is so cool."

"Are you twelve?" she laughed, amused.

"Sometimes," he shrugged. "Now, let's get out there before salt mysteriously becomes the main topping for the evening."

That sounded like childhood. "Previous experience?"

He nodded and opened the door, gesturing for her to precede him. "She's very adventurous in the kitchen, but she lacks a certain…finesse, let's say."

"Come on!" Alexis said from her spot at the table. "I'm hungry!"

Rick gestured for her to sit opposite Alexis and then spun around to grab the pizza from the oven. She took her seat and watched as he brought the platter over with a flourish, grinning at her.

"Is that homemade pizza?" Kate asked as he set it down in front of them. He could make pizza? Richard Castle made homemade pizza that smelled like it had just popped out of the Authentic Nick's oven?

"Of course," he replied easily. "We only do homemade pizza on pizza night."

"I like it more than regular," Alexis added. "The cheese is gooier."

"We'll let Kate be the judge of that," Rick laughed as he cut it into slices and then gave everyone one to start.

They sat patiently as Kate picked up her slice. "You're going to watch me eat it?" She was sure she'd like it, but wasn't that a little creepy, at least on Rick's end?

"Gotta see your reaction," Alexis said seriously.

"What she said," Rick grinned.

Kate narrowed her eyes at him but took a small bite. It was crispy and gooey in all the right ways, and the sauce was made of something fantastic that made her want to moan. God, it was good. "This is delicious," she announced as she swallowed. "Did you help make it, Alexis?" she asked, holding in a laugh as Rick preened.

"I rolled the dough and did the sauce."

"We have aprons and everything," Rick explained. "And there's salad and garlic bread too."

"This is decadent," Kate smiled. "It's great. Thank you."

"Do you have family dinners, Kate?" Alexis asked.

How to answer that question? The last family dinner she'd been part of had ended in a murder and shattered her world apart. But that wasn't the right thing to say here. Kate chewed her next bite and took a breath. "Not really," she said carefully, hoping to keep her voice steady and light. "My Dad's busy."

"What about your Mommy?"

Kate blinked and sucked in an unsteady breath. Somehow, she hadn't considered the idea that she'd need to talk about this tonight. But children asked questions, and Alexis' were so innocent for anyone but Kate. "Um…my mother, my mother isn't with us, anymore."

"Oh," the girl said softly.

Silence fell. Alexis looked a bit confused but didn't comment, and Rick looked…he looked oddly sad. "Sorry," he murmured.

Kate raised a shoulder. "It's okay." She gave herself a mental shake; now was not the time to sink into this. She was here to find the light and make a little girl laugh, right? "What did you learn in school today, Alexis?"

Alexis perked up and Kate noticed Rick watching her out of the corner of her eye. "We talked all about the Ocean," Alexis told her excitedly. "And we have to pick an animal to do a project on. I wanna do the sea turtles."

"Alexis is a fan of the sea turtles," Rick interjected, his gaze still contemplative, but his smile full for his daughter.

"Daddy says that later in the week we can go see them at the Zoo and take pictures."

"That sounds like a good idea. But, tell me, why sea turtles?" Kate asked, forcing herself to take another bite of pizza and let her mother disappear behind the wall she'd made in her head.

Alexis gaped. "Why? Because they're awesome!"

Kate laughed. "I see. But why are they awesome?"

Alexis appeared baffled for a moment and Kate noticed Rick taking an extra large bite of pizza. Alexis chewed her own mouthful thoughtfully and then turned to Kate.

"They're really old; they live to be really old. And they, um, ride sea currents to get around and they go really large distances to lay eggs. And they guard their eggs until they hatch, like good mommies. And, um, they're reptiles but they live in the ocean and swim really fast, even though they're slow on land?"

"Those sound like good criteria for awesomeness to me," Kate replied, impressed. She would have stopped at 'they live to be really old,' at Alexis' age.

"Me too," Rick added.

"What's your favorite ocean animal, Kate?" Alexis asked. "And why?"

Oh, she was a smart little kid, wasn't she? "Penguins," Kate replied easily, surprised by her own answer. She paused for a second to collect her thoughts and then smiled. She did like penguins as a kid, and she remembered her facts now. "They're very fast in the water, like sea turtles, and they go long distances to lay their eggs too. They're smart and conserve heat in the dead of winter. And, the daddies take care of the eggs once the mommies lay them. And they mate for life," Kate added as an after thought.

"Mating for life is an important thing for your favorite animal?" Rick asked.

Kate met his eyes. There was a flash of something she couldn't quite pin down. "I'd say so."

"Hmm," he offered.

"Hmm," she parroted. Alexis giggled. "What's funny?"

"You guys are silly," Alexis explained. "Humming at dinner."

"What's wrong with humming?" Rick asked before he proceeded to hum the Star Wars theme.

"Daddy! Not again," Alexis exclaimed dramatically. "He always does this."

"Hums the Star Wars theme song?" she chuckled, looking between them.

"Yes. He's obsessed."

"And you're not?" She'd assume that Richard Castle, who apparently was quite a nerd, would have brainwashed his daughter into absolutely loving everything science fiction.

Alexis shrugged. "They're good movies."

"You've seen them all?" Man, when was the last time she'd watched those movies?

"Star Wars education begins early in the Castle household," Rick interjected, pausing his rendition long enough to answer and grab another slice of pizza.

"I see," Kate nodded. "What's your favorite movie, Alexis?"

"I have lots of favorites, but I'm really excited for the Harry Potter movie," she replied. "Have you read the books? Daddy and I finished the fourth one."

"I have, actually," Kate smiled. She'd ignored the teasing that came with it. She loved those books. "I can't wait for the fifth one to come out."

"Me too!" That was impressive for a seven-year-old. Those books were complicated and big.

"You read Harry Potter?" Rick asked, staring at her with interest.

Kate turned to the humming machine. "I just told your daughter that. Do you not listen?"

"Only when I deem it necessary," he grinned. "You like them, though?"

"I'm hooked. Have been since they came out," she admitted. She couldn't remember why she'd picked up the first one, but after that, she had to know what happened to the little boy with the lightning scar.

"I like Hermione," Alexis said.

"Me too," Kate told her. "She's very smart." She saw a little bit of her own bookish self in the girl, and she figured that Alexis did too.

"Smarter than the boys," Alexis nodded.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Kate asked her. The little girl nodded emphatically. "Girls are smarter than boys. Period."

"Hey!" Rick exclaimed. "Don't tell her that. That's not true, Alexis."

"So boys are always smarter than girls?" Alexis asked him.

Hah! Try to get out of that one, Rick Castle. "No, I just meant…well…girls aren't always smarter than boys. Sometimes boys are smarter," he managed.

"Rarely," Kate mumbled into her drink.

"You're not helpful."

"I disagree. I'm trying to teach your daughter the real life lessons," she assured him, sharing a wink with Alexis that was far too much fun.

"Yeah, Daddy. The real life lessons," Alexis added, grinning.

He threw his hands up. "Do you want dessert? Because I'm disinclined to give it to you now."

"No, no, I want dessert!" Alexis pleaded. "Sorry, Daddy."

"I'm not sorry, but I'd love dessert, if it's a table wide offer," Kate told him. "Everything was great." She felt comfortably full and satisfied, which was more than she could say for most of the meals she made for herself. It wasn't that she couldn't cook, just that she didn't enjoy it.

His glare fell and he grinned. "Glad you thought so. You're welcome back any time."

She just smiled and watched as he moved to the refrigerator, coming back with a small cheesecake. She'd have to work out twice tomorrow just to burn this off.

"Cheesecake!" Alexis squealed. "My favorite!"

"And don't I know it," Rick laughed, cutting three slices and putting them onto plates. "Cheesecake alright with you, Kate?"

"Cheesecake might just be my favorite, too," she laughed. She hadn't had a good slice in ages.

Alexis beamed at her as Rick handed them their pieces and went about putting the rest of the cake back into the refrigerator. Kate took an experimental bite while Alexis dived in and she closed her eyes in approval. She'd have to find out where he'd gotten this. No, actually, she wouldn't. If she knew, she'd gain a hundred pounds. It would be better just to enjoy this one piece of creamy, crumbly, deliciously smooth cake and then walk away.

"So, what are your plans for Thanksgiving?" Rick asked a few minutes later.

"Working," Kate replied.

"You have to work on Thanksgiving?" Alexis asked with a gasp.

Kate looked between them, both equally horrified. "We rotate. I get Christmas off this year, but not Thanksgiving." She forgot sometimes that it wasn't normal to miss holidays in lieu of traipsing after killers and collecting body parts.

"Oh," Alexis nodded thoughtfully.

Rick just blinked at her. "That stinks."

Kate shrugged. "Happens." She preferred it that way. Working allowed her to escape the loneliness of the holidays, because without her mother there, she and her father didn't celebrate—not that he'd been in any state to do so recently. And working just made it easier. Then she didn't have to think about it.

"Kate?" Alexis asked a few minutes later.

"Yes?" she smiled, coming back to the present.

"What do you do at your job?"

Kate swallowed and then took a sip of water. How should she answer that question? She glanced at Rick for a little guidance, but he looked almost as intrigued as Alexis. "Well, I help people catch criminals," she offered slowly.

"But how?"

"I collect evidence and go look at crime scenes before the Detectives get there."

"Like a scout?"

"Yes," Kate smiled. That was a good analogy "Exactly. And sometimes I go out and dig for things."

"Dig?" Rick asked.

"Spent most of Wednesday in a dumpster, actually," Kate replied, laughing as his eyes widened.

Alexis wrinkled her nose. "That doesn't sound like much fun."

"It wasn't. But, the necklace I found was important to the investigation," she told her. Alexis shook her head and scrunched up her face in disgust. She could relate, and with the memory of that particular garbage bag, Kate found that she didn't really want that last little bite of cheesecake anymore.

"How so?" Rick asked.

Kate turned to him. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm interested," he replied easily. "Crime fascinates me."

"Daddy sometimes tapes himself up," Alexis told her.

"He does?" Kate asked her, turning back to Rick with her eyebrows raised. He was blushing. "And why would he do that?" Oh, he was twisting in his seat; this had to be good.

"He wants to make sure that Derrick can get out of a…a…hassle?" Alexis told her, looking to her father for confirmation.

"Yes. Hassle. Good memory, Pumpkin," Rick smiled at her, avoiding Kate's look. "I like to do my research."

"By taping yourself to a chair?" she asked, incredulous.

"And into a closet," Alexis added.

Kate stared at him and then looked at Alexis. "And, while Daddy's tied up, what do you do?"

"Oh, Gram takes me out shopping," Alexis grinned. "And if he's not out by the time we get back, she unties him…after lecturing him."

"Yes, those are the fun days," Rick said hastily, standing and taking the dishes. "Why don't the two of you go into the living room while I clean up."

"Can Kate stay for a movie?" Alexis asked excitedly.

"I don't know, Sweetie. We have to ask Kate that."

Alexis turned to her with big blue eyes. "Can you stay?"

"Sure," Kate smiled. She was having fun and was in no hurry at all to get back to her lonely, chilly apartment. "Let's go pick one out while your Dad cleans up."

"Okay."

She let Alexis guide her over to the side of the living room where an impressive collection of tapes awaited their perusal at the base of one of the big bookshelves. Alexis combed through them, alternating between giving Kate commentary on the films and asking for her opinion. Eventually, they settled on Swan Princess, a movie Kate hadn't seen in ages. Alexis put the tape in and dragged Kate over to the couch, where she plopped down and patted the seat next to her.

Kate sat down and Alexis immediately snuggled into her side. She startled a bit but then relaxed, running a hand through the girl's hair. Alexis was warm against her side and Kate felt herself relaxing. Her day off was tomorrow, and unlike most Mondays, when it took her hours to unwind, here she was, already limp and peaceful.

"Hurry up, Daddy! I have to be in bed by nine!" Alexis called.

Kate heard Rick laughing as he made his way over to them and settled down next to Kate, glancing over at his daughter. "You never do forget your bedtime, do you, kid?"

"No. 'Cause if I don't remember, you'll forget."

He chuckled and met Kate's eyes. "Okay?" he asked silently, gesturing to Alexis' position. Kate nodded and Rick grabbed the remote and started the movie.

"Swan Princess, again?" he groaned.

"Hey, I like this movie," Kate objected, nudging him with her free elbow.

"Yeah!" Alexis agreed.

"Never gonna win again," he grumbled, hunkering down in his seat. She couldn't stop the little smile that played over her face. The two of them were quite a pair.

Kate watched him out of the corner of her eye as the movie progressed, and, though he did initially look bored, she caught him mouthing along to the songs and dialogue. Alexis did too for a while, until Kate felt her growing heavy against her side.

"Feels like someone's falling asleep there, little miss," she said quietly about two-thirds of the way through the film.

"Uh-huh," Alexis mumbled.

"Time for bed," Rick smiled. "Glad we did your bath after school, huh?" he asked as he stood and scooped her up.

"Yeah," she whispered sleepily.

Rick looked down at Kate as she reached for the remote and paused the movie. "I…uh…"

"Kate?" Alexis asked.

"Yes, Sweetie?"

"Will you tuck me in too?"

Kate felt her eyes widen and she and Rick exchanged surprised glances. He nodded, as if to say 'your call.' The entire evening had been lovely and there'd been this bizarre feeling of normalcy she hadn't expected, like she'd known them for much longer than a few days. But was it wrong to tuck the girl in? That was just as innocent as dinner, wasn't it?

"Sure," Kate replied after a moment. Rick smiled and she slowly followed them up the stairs. They turned a corner and Rick pushed a door open to reveal a light purple room with more toys than Kate would ever have known what to do with. The bookshelf in the corner though, held more books than there were toys. Now that, she would have loved as a kid.

Rick placed Alexis down on the purple bed, piled high with stuffed animals and pillows. "Time to brush teeth, Pumpkin."

Alexis nodded and hopped down, scooting into the ensuite bathroom and closing the door. Rick turned to Kate as she looked around the room.

"Thank you, I…"

"It's not a problem," she stopped him, meeting his eyes with a soft smile.

"No, I mean, I know. I just…I've…she's not usually so, um, easily taken? I mean, don't get me wrong; you're cool. But, uh…"

Kate smiled at his rambling. "It's okay. I get it. And it's no trouble. I've had a good time tonight." She had, and she felt a little thrill in her stomach at the unguardedly grateful look at the spread across his face at the comment.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Alexis came out of the bathroom in a little blue nightgown, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. "Ready," she smiled.

Rick hoisted her onto the bed and snuggled her under a mountain of blankets as Kate watched, fascinated and a little melancholy. Her father had done that with her when she was a kid. Now…but not tonight. She wouldn't think about that tonight. "Warm enough?" Rick asked.

"Yeah," Alexis giggled.

"Do you want a story tonight?"

Alexis shook her head and beckoned Kate over. Kate moved slowly and ended up standing at the head of the bed while Rick sat on the edge near his daughter's hip.

"Thanks for coming, Kate," Alexis said, even as her eyes began to droop.

"It was my pleasure," Kate told her, brushing a wisp of hair off of the girl's forehead almost absent-mindedly.

"Will you come back next week?" the whisper was soft, but there.

"I…" she looked to Rick, who shrugged.

"You're more than welcome to."

Kate took a breath. Did she want to? She'd had a lot of fun tonight. And here, in this house, there were no murderers or bad guys, just evil wizards and laughter. "Sure, Alexis. I would like that."

"Good."

And then her breathing evened out and they watched as she fell into sleep. They stood and sat for a minute, just staring at the little girl. Then they both seemed to realize what they were doing and Rick stood, gesturing for Kate to follow him out of the room. He flicked the lights as they made their way out, and Kate smiled as she saw twinkle lights ignite around the room when the overhead shut off, casting the space in a warm glow.

"Nice night light," she whispered as he closed the door.

"She doesn't like the dark, and, well, I like to make things special," he shrugged as they made their way down the stairs.

They stood in the foyer and looked at each other. "I had fun," she offered after an awkward minute, swinging her hands by her sides.

"Me too," he nodded.

"This is…" she trailed off, unable to find a word to put to it.

"Is it weird? It doesn't feel weird, per se," he said.

"No, it's just…odd?"

He nodded. "We can go with odd. Wanna sit down? Or do you need to get home?"

Kate shook her head. She didn't need to leave, and she found that she really didn't want to just yet. "Nowhere to be. We can sit."

She followed him into the living room and sat down on the couch, taking his lead as he did so. They sat facing each other, legs pulled up to scrunch into the couch. After another silent minute, Rick stuck out his hand. "Hi, I'm Rick."

Kate laughed but took his hand, relieved that he'd thought of a good way to break the awkward air. She didn't want to feel awkward with him. "Kate."

"Nice to meet you, not at a book signing."

"Nice to meet you too," she smiled. "Your daughter is adorable."

"She's totally taken with you," he laughed. "Couldn't stop talking about you, actually."

"I'm kind of taken with her too, if that's not too…odd." Taken wasn't really being fair to it though; she was utterly besotted by the little girl. Who wouldn't be?

He shook his head. "She's hard to get away from. I'm just…well, it's really nice, that she's…"

"That she's?" she prompted when he trailed off.

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Her mother—stop me if this becomes too much information. But, her mother is less than there, you know?"

Kate nodded. "So I gathered," she said softly, bracing herself for what looked like a difficult confession.

"And, so, we get back from this horrible trip, and she meets you, this cool, nice, sweet woman, who read to her and let her fall asleep in her lap, and she's totally smitten with you. And you came for dinner, and you're lovely, you know?"

Kate smiled softly. He was worried that she'd drop his kid like a stone. "She's great, Rick."

"I'm glad you think so, I just…I don't even know how to say this. I don't normally let Alexis meet anyone I'm seeing. But, I'm not seeing you."

Kate laughed nervously. "No, you're not." This wasn't about them. But she couldn't stop the tiny little voice that whispered 'yet' at the very edge of her conscious thought. She brushed it away quickly, forbidding it to return. Because that always worked so well.

"So, I don't know what the protocol is," he told her quietly, looking up to meet her gaze. "And, you don't seem like the kind of person who would play with a kid's feelings."

"I'm not," Kate answered quickly, jerkingly.

"Yeah, I'm getting the good person vibe from you."

Kate snorted. "We have to talk about that, actually, at some point." The 'good person vibe' was not reason enough to give someone access to your kid.

"You're a criminal?" he asked eagerly.

"No! But we'll have to talk about why that excites you so much too," she laughed. "I just, in the store, when I showed you my badge, it's real. But there are lot of people who would use that as a fake, you know?" she said quietly, trying to be helpful but not pedantic. She hated being patronized more than anything, and made an effort to extend the courtesy to others.

He grinned. "I had you monitored."

"What?" she gasped.

"There are cameras all over that store. They knew to watch Alexis."

Kate blinked. Well that…made it better, and a little weird. "Oh."

"Don't worry. I'm charmingly suave, not naïve," he grinned.

"And cocky," she shot back.

"Sometimes," he laughed. "But thanks," he said seriously. "It's nice of you to watch out for her like that."

"She's worth watching out for," she told him honestly. That little girl was worth a lot, and it didn't take long to figure that out.

"Which brings us back to the protocol thing, again," he sighed. "I'm really happy to get to know you. You're smart, and interesting, and my kid thinks you're great. And, you're great with my kid. The 'why' thing, at dinner? Genius."

"Thanks," she blushed. It had just popped out.

"But I just…"

"You can ask, you know," she said softly, realizing that he felt just as out of place about this as she did.

"Are you gonna dump my kid? Because, don't get me wrong, I think you're as cool as she does, but I can't…I can't let her get attached to you if you're gonna bail. And, I mean, I realize that this is serious for the first dinner you've had here, especially since we've barely met you, but she's…she's gonna get clingy, and I'd hate to see her really fall for you, and then have you leave." He said it quickly, shamefully, like it was something to feel bad about.

Kate didn't quite know what to think. Here she was for this lovely dinner with a nice guy and his cute kid, and she was suddenly signing a pact to be in the girl's life? Did she want to be? Did she want to run, and save them all the pain if it became too much? Would it become too much? How much was it to have dinner with them a few times a month, or maybe go to the Museum some weekend? Would it hurt to have that kind of innocence in her life, the love of a kid, the friendship of a nice guy? Because, she could tell already that she and Rick would get along.

"I mean, I'm not saying that you have to sign on to be her new mom," Rick broke into her thoughts.

"I know," Kate smiled. She took a breath and sorted out her thoughts. This could be good for her, would be good for her. "You know what? I'm in."

"You're in?"

"Dinner and spending some time with your kid every week or so? I can do that, Rick. I could use that."

"She does tend to brighten things," he nodded. "So, we're good?"

"We're good."

"Okay. Good. Um, do you want wine or anything?"

"I'm okay, actually," Kate smiled. She didn't like to drink to avoid things, either. She'd have to work on her hang-ups with alcohol.

"Okay," he shrugged. They sat silently for a minute. "Um…you know, for a writer, I'm finding myself baffled here."

"With what?"

"I'm not great with small talk."

She snorted. "You're kidding." Richard Castle, king of the tabloids, couldn't do small talk? Please.

"Hitting on someone small talk? I've got that down. Publicity small talk? I'm good. Actual small talk about real things with a real person who's made of more than silicon? Not so much."

Kate blinked. "Oh, well, I mean, you're doing okay." He was doing better than she was, at any rate.

He hung his head. "Sorry, I'm being heinously awkward."

Kate laughed. "It's fine. It's refreshing."

"Refreshing?"

"It's better than being hit on or joked at all day." Compared to the gang at the 12th, Rick's slightly awkward conversation was like jumping into a crisp, clean pool.

"Precinct life of a pretty uniform, I take it?"

Pretty—he thought she was pretty? "Yeah. Being a woman isn't the easiest thing there. I mean, it's not bad, just…it's a man's world, you know?"

"I'm sure you measure up."

"Thanks." There was no blush, and she felt no flutter in her stomach, and she would walk out of here with her dignity intact. She would.

"So, Katherine Beckett. What do you do when you're not at the Precinct?"

She laughed. It was awkward, but successful small talk. "Not too much. I read. I like being outside. I go to the park. Honestly not much."

"Sounds like enough to be relaxing," he said easily, sinking back into the couch, his head resting on his hand.

"It is," she nodded. "Sometimes I go to book signings."

He grinned. "Now, those are fun."

"Interesting, to say the least," she agreed. "What do you do when you're not on the press junket?"

He shrugged. "I write. I take care of my kid. I play video games."

"Video games?" Really? Well, maybe that shouldn't be so surprising, considering the glimpse of nerdom she'd gotten earlier.

"Hey, I'm young, I'm a guy. I can play video games," he protested.

"No judgment," she snickered. Oh, but there was, just a little.

"You're so judging."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"This is silly," she said to stop the argument. "So, video games and writing? No fancy dinners, no hot dates?" Where the hell was the playboy? And if he didn't exist, how did the Ledger catch him out and about so much. Though, now that she thought about it, he hadn't been out and about all that much recently.

He shook his head. "Not so much, no. I do that for publicity a few times a year, and then I like to be quiet at home. Alexis…she's not fond of those months."

"Lots of nights out, I take it?" Kate asked quietly.

"Yeah. It used to be okay, when it was me and her Mom making appearances, but now that it's just me she's…she's not as happy about me going out." His face lost some of that playfulness and Kate felt her fingers twitch, like she wanted to reach out and grasp his hand. What was it about this guy?

Kate nodded sadly. "That's understandable."

"Yeah."

"You look tired," she observed.

"Why are you the only person to tell me that other than my mother?" he asked her. "Seriously. Everyone else thinks I'm the energizer bunny."

"Probably because you have the thousand watt smile," Kate replied with a laugh. "But you do look tired. You should go to sleep."

"Trying to skip out on our delightfully not-awkward conversation, Miss Beckett?"

Kate rolled her eyes. Not at all. "No, just trying to make sure you wake up in time to get that girl to school in the morning."

He smiled. "Touché. Okay, yeah, I'm sorry," he yawned. "I am beat."

"Me too," she admitted, finally feeling the week catching up to her.

"Let's get your gun, then, Annie."

"Nice reference," she laughed as she followed him into the office.

"Ah, a woman who knows theatre," he grinned as he handed over her gun and badge, watching as she tucked them safely away. "That's still cool."

"And you're still slightly creepy for thinking that," she offered. He looked so fascinated as she slid the gun back into her holster, and if he was anything other than a millionaire crime writer, she might be worried. As it was, she was oddly amused by it.

"Eh," he shrugged. "So, um…are you free on Monday night next week too?"

Kate nodded. Wrapping her head around the fact that Richard Castle wanted her to come over for dinner again would take some time. The butterflies in her stomach, however, needed no preparation, and they burst free as she smiled. "I am."

"Would you like to come over for dinner again?" he asked, looking excited.

She smiled. She would. "That would be great."

He beamed and they made their way to the door together. "Well, um, this was lovely. Thank you for coming over."

"You're welcome. I had a great time," she told him, slipping back into her jacket and flipping her hair over the collar. She caught him watching the movement before he blinked and met her eyes.

"Same time next week?"

"Yeah. Sounds good." Starting another day off like this sounded wonderful.

He stuck out his hand and she took it. They shook, and then stood there, hands clasped, for a long moment as they considered each other. His hand was just as warm and large as it had been the previous week, but this time, Kate could feel something different between them; she just didn't know quite what it was.

"Have a nice night, Rick," Kate said finally, when she realized that they were doing nothing more than loitering in his front hall.

"You too, Kate," he replied, dropping her hand and opening the door for her. "Thank you for coming."

"My pleasure."

They smiled and then she walked away and to the elevator. She stepped inside and heard the click of his lock as she pushed the button for the ground floor. The opulent doors closed and the car began to sink, taking her away from the big apartment with the nice guy and the cute kid. She blew out a breath and let her smile blossom across her face. She'd had a marvelous time. How long was a week, really?


Author's Note II: So, we've had our first dinner. What did you guys think? Obviously, they're a bit more open, at least on some levels, than they were point blank in season one. Gimme your thoughts, gang. I love hearing them.