Chapter Four

"And now I've ruined your night, and I didn't want to do this today, but when you said...in the living room...I couldn't start something without you knowing...now there's nothing to start...so I won't go tonight...you can still take the car that I have for us, but I can't-" Rick was cut off by the feel of Kate's lips on his, his hands instinctively moving to the back of her head and her waist, holding her to him.

"Kate. Wait. Are you sure?" Rick breathed against her lips

"Yes. I've never been more sure" Kate breathed back

"Not yet. Tonight, we've got to get going" Rick admitted as he ran a hand down Kate's face

"Tonight" Kate stated as she placed her hand over Ricks on her face

"You okay?" Rick asked

"Yeah, just let me sort myself out first" Kate replied, a blush forming on her cheeks

"Okay, I will wait in the living room, you can use the en-suite next to my bedroom" Rick told her as he placed a soft kiss to her lips before pushing her towards his room

"Ready?" She shouted minutes later as she re-entered the living room

"Yep, cars waiting downstairs, let's get going" Rick replied as he opened the door for her

"Thank you" Was her only reply as she waited for Rick to lock up the loft

He turned from locking up the loft to find her stood waiting for the elevator, her eyes focused on him as she watched him walk towards her. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into his side as they waited for the lift to arrive.

They sat pressed against each other through the entire car journey, their hands entwined as Rick rubbed circles across her hip with his free hand. Her head rested on his shoulder, her eyes focused on the hands currently resting on his lap, her thumb caressing his hands.

"Mr Castle, we're here" the voice of the driver sounded over the intercom as the car pulled to a stop

"Thank you John" Rick replied before pulling from Kate's grasp and heading out of the car "I'll get your door wait here"

She smiled softly at him as he closed the door before running around to her side and opening the door for her, extending his hand to help her out of the car.

"Thank you Castle"

"You're welcome Detective" he replied before pulling her close to him and letting his hand rest on the small of her back as they walked towards the entrance, through the crowd of reporters waiting at either side of the doors

"Katie" Her father shouted as he watched her enter with Rick's arm protectively wrapped around her

"Dad" She shouted as she headed towards him, her arms stretched as she walked into his embrace

"You look happy Katie" Jim murmured into her hair as he held her tight against him

"I am daddy" Was her reply as she squeezed him before pulling out of the hug

"You both ready?" Rick asked as he stepped towards the duo, allowing them their privacy

"Yes" they replied in unison

"Let's go take our seats then. Lanie and the boys are already seated" Rick told them as he held out his arm for Kate to hold onto

"Thank you for this Rick, it means a lot to both of us" Jim told him as they walked towards the table already occupied by Evelyn, Lanie, Javier, Kevin, Jenny, Victoria and her husband Gregg

Jim took his allocated seat between Evelyn and Victoria, greeting both women before watching as his daughter walks around the table to her seat across from him. He watched the smile spread across her face as Rick pulled her chair out for her, allowing her to sit down and get herself situated before even thinking of taking his own seat.

"Mr Castle, Detective Beckett, nice of you to join us" Gates spoke as the duo took their seats

"Good evening sir, nice to see you here" Kate replied as she let her hand fall off the table to grasp the hand that was currently residing on her thigh

"How is this going to work Mr Castle?" Gates quizzed again

"We just have to wait for everyone to arrive then dinner will be served, once the three courses have been served that's when the speeches begin, along with the presentation of the scholarship to the winning candidate. All candidates are here, however they are unaware of who has been awarded it." Rick listed off "The rest of the evening involves some dancing and drinking as a celebration."

"Sounds like it will be a lovely evening Mr Castle" Gates stated before the table erupted in conversation, everyone rushing to change the subject.

"How is everything going Jim, any big cases at the moment?" Evelyn asked

"Nothing major no, just the small cases to keep me busy through the week, got to let the beginners have their chance with the big guns every once in a while" Jim replied smiling, before flicking his eyes up to meet the grinning face of his daughter

"Of course that's the reason Dad" Kate inputted

"What are you trying to say Katie?" her father replied astonished by what she was insinuating

"Oh nothing, you like the small simple cases, always did" Kate answered

"You know your mother was always the one that liked the big cases" Jim stated "I liked the small ones yes."

"That she did, always searching for the next big case to sink her teeth into" Kate replied, a smile spreading across her face

"Attention everyone, the first course will be served in five minutes time, enjoy your evening" The voice shouted over the mike

The conversation around the room turned to soft whispers as waiters entered the room carrying plates, each one assigned to a specific table. The quite conversations continued throughout the dinner, compliments of the food passed between everyone as they tasted each new dish. Kate had reluctantly let go of Ricks hand when their starters had arrived, leaving her thigh cold at the absence of his hand that had rested there. She glanced over at him in between mouthfuls of food, shooting a quick smile and him before turning back to her food and the conversation floating around the table.

"That was amazing" Lanie exclaimed once the dessert dishes had been taken from the table

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, now let's get started shall we?" Rick stated before standing from his seat, his hand resting on Kate's shoulder, forcing her to stay seated before mouthing "Not yet"

"If I could have your attention please" Rick spoke into the microphone as he stood on the stage "I'm sure you are all well aware as to why we are here today. I won't stand up here for long; I never had the chance to meet Johanna Beckett, so I felt that hearing about her from those that knew her the best would be a great way to start the evening. I would like to introduce our first speaker, and the person we have to thank for the wonderful food tonight, Miss Madison Queller."

"Hello everyone, and I just run the restaurant, I don't do the cooking. Anyway, that's not the reason I'm stood here. Johanna was like a second mother to me, Becks and I were always together through school, so most of my time was spent with her family while mine were too busy with work. They took me in like one of their own, and I'm forever grateful for that. You didn't need to be immediate family for Johanna to take to you. She always saw the good in people and would do anything to protect the ones she loved. I think that's where Becks gets it from; she's just like her mother, always wanting justice for those who have been wronged. But Johanna always found time for family, she didn't let her job take over, she knew when to stop, knew when her family needed her. I don't know what Johanna was like as a lawyer, I'm sure we have someone to talk about that, but as a friend and a mother, she was amazing. If Beck's phoned her while she was in the middle of a case, she'd stop everything she was doing just to make sure she was okay. She would do it for me, even though she wasn't my mother. Gaining this scholarship not only makes you worthy of the kind of lawyer that Johanna was, but the type of person as a whole, don't let the job take over, remember to have fun and enjoy life, just like she always did." Madison finished her speech, tears brimming in her eyes before she exited the stage, handing the microphone back to Rick, before looking up to see Kate stood at the bottom of the stairs looking at her.

"Thank you" Kate whispered as she pulled Madison into a hug, as Rick announced the name of the next speaker.

By the end of the speeches there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Rick had taken his seat beside Kate once again, his had rested on her thigh, and hers placed on top, letting him know that she was okay.

"It's time Kate" Rick whispered to her

"I know, just give me a minute" Kate replied, looking across at her father who was looking just as nervous "You ready dad?"

"As I'll ever be Katie" Jim replied standing up to head for the stage

"Thank you again for this Rick." Kate told him before she also stood and headed towards her father

"Let's go Katie, you got the envelope?" Jim asked his daughter as she linked her arm through his

"Yes, it's all here" Kate replied as the duo walked onto the stage

"Hello everyone, I hope you've enjoyed the evening, it's now time for the real reason we are here, the presentation of the scholarship. Jo would have loved this she always wanted to help others. And Katie and I are so grateful to everyone, for coming and for helping to set this evening up. Now I'm sure we have some very eager candidates waiting to find out who has been awarded the scholarship, so I will hand you over to my daughter." Jim finished with a small as he looked towards Kate who nodded her head and took the microphone from his hand.

"Hello everyone, I know my father has already said thank you, but I will say it again. We really appreciate you all being here, it means a lot to both of us to know that so many people still remember the great person she was. We personally looked over the candidate files with the board, we wanted to make sure it went to the right person and that this first scholarship would set the ball rolling for more in the future. So, without making you listen to me talking any longer, it is with great pleasure that we give the first annual Johanna Beckett scholarship to Miss Claire Thompson." Kate spoke before stepping aside from the microphone to allow the winner to enter the stage.

Kate took her place next to her father as she watched the girl nervously take to the stage she was looking at her feet with every step, ensuring that she wouldn't fall. Kate took pity on the girl, eventually walking towards the girl to clasp her hand, guiding her onto the stage toward her father who now held the envelope.

"Almost there" Kate whisper to her as they approached her father

"Thank you" Claire replied as she came to a stop in front of Jim, releasing Kate's hold to allow her to return to the space beside her father.

Huge apologise for the delay with this one. I had writers-block and couldn't figure out the best way to progress with this chapter. I'm still not happy about it, but I think its time you all got another chapter. I don't think this story will have many more chapters.

Amy.