City Slickers

A/N: Have I mentioned that you all rock my socks? Because you do. I seriously am overwhelmed by the love and support you have for this story. It may have a small following, but you are definitely a dedicated bunch and I love you for it.

This is a little bit of a slow chapter, but you finally get some Rick-Kate time. Yay! As always, read and enjoy! :)

Chapter 4

When she awoke the next morning, to the clomp of horse hooves and the sounds of people chattering on the streets below instead of the customary rooster, Kate was surprised to find that she had slept later than she had in years. She stretched lazily on the sinfully comfortable mattress and sighed. Rubbing her eyes, she partly expecting the last month of travel and the overly surreal past day, of arriving in New York, learning that both Rick and Alexis were engaged and the party, to be a twisted dream. But, alas, she was lying in Richard Castle's guest bedroom atop the most comfortable bed she had ever felt in her life.

Slipping out from between the soft sheets she pulled on the same pants and shirt she had been wearing the day before, since Mirta still possessed all of her others, and ran her hands through her hair as way of brushing it. Out of habit, she strapped a knife to her ankle and one to her back before pulling on her boots. She took a second to look at her gun, debating whether to take it or not. In the end, she decided against it; there was less chance she would shoot a socialite that way. Quietly she slipped out the door and made her way down the back staircase to the kitchen. She peaked her head in to see Eustice hard at work, Gina rambling about something as the cook bustled around the kitchen. Apparently, the guests had just arrived and Gina was giving last minute orders before heading back out to fulfill her hostess duties. Rick and Alexis were nowhere to be seen.

Kate crept back up the stairs and made her way quickly to the front staircase and stealthily snuck down, her back against the wall, not letting the heels of her boots hit the steps. She breathed a sigh of relief as she reached the last stair and grabbed her hat and jacket off of the hook before sliding out the front door and plopping down on the top step. She was in the middle of rolling a cigarette, watching the people on the street stroll by, when the door behind her opened and she felt a body sit down beside her.

"That was some fancy footwork you did in there to get down those stairs and out the door without anyone noticing."

Kate smiled at the sound of his voice, her eyes never leaving the street. "See that, did you? Were you impressed?"

"Extremely." Rick paused, watching her, as she finished rolling her cigarette and pulled a little box of matches out of her coat pocket. "You're really here."

Kate turned her head to look at him through her curtain of hair, her hat hanging down her back. "Yeah, I am really here. Surreal, is it not?"

"Very surreal. I missed you."

Kate pushed her hair out of her way, looking at him full on, without a barrier of protection. "I missed you, too."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, watching the world go by. Kate lifted the cigarette to her lips.

"Those can't possibly be good for you, all of that smoke entering your body. People who inhale smoke from fires die because of it." Castle pointed out as she slid her eyes over to look at him, her head never turning.

She shook her head as she exhaled and laughed. "That is only for you white men. We savages can breathe this stuff in just fine."

"Kate…" Rick chided, gently reminding her not to listen to the twittering group in the room behind them.

"Shouldn't you be in there?" Kate nodded her head back towards the door. She was trying to ignore her hurt feelings, her anger. He was talking, joking, looking at her the way he had at the train station all those months ago and she couldn't handle it. It wasn't fair and she couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose or not.

"No, that is Gina's breakfast. I would probably just get in the way. Besides, I would rather be out here with you."

"Castle. You can't say things like that."

"Like what? That I wouldn't rather spend the day with my best friend instead of the group of backstabbing socialites inside that house because it is the truth. I want to see you."

Kate nodded. Best friend. It hurt, more than it should, to hear that classification, but she could make do with it. He was engaged to Gina and she could be the best friend.

"I stopped drinking," she confessed quietly as she watched the remaining paper from her cigarette burn away on the step. "I haven't had any alcohol in almost three months."

His hand wrapped around her knee, squeezing it in pride and support as he turned his body so he could look at her. "How are you, really, Kate?"

She looked back over the street as an enclosed carriage rolled past and she couldn't keep her eyes from following it down the road. Things she had only ever seen in drawings were right in front of her. It was amazing.

"I miss whiskey."

Castle let out a small huff of irritation and removed his hand from her knee. Kate closed her eyes for a moment, instantly regretting her flippant response, and reached out to catch his hand, her fist closing around his finger tips.

"I'm doing better, Rick. I am not all the way there yet, but I am getting better. Colonel Maynard is doing his best to help the Cherokee, my father is happy and healthy and I am making it through day by day. It's hard to do alone, but I am doing it. I should be used to being alone by now."

She released his hand, letting hers fall to her side, trying to ignore him as he blatantly stared at her. "You're not alone, Kate. I'm here for you."

Kate shook her head. "No, you left."

"I had to," Rick began, running a hand over his head, messing up his perfectly groomed hair.

"I know, Rick." Kate interrupted. That hadn't come out right. "I am not faulting you for leaving. Both you and Alexis need to be here, and there is nothing wrong with that. We have two very different lives, I have been in New York for one day and I can see that."

Castle looked at her for a few more long seconds. She had called him Rick. She had never called him by his first name before and he found himself smiling at the sound of it rolling off her tongue and past her lips. He had had enough serious talk. "That's only because you haven't seen enough of the city yet. Trust me, once you see the best parts of New York you will never want to go back to Colorado. Come on. We're going out."

Castle pushed himself off the step and held his hand out to pull Kate up with him.

They walked down the road silently, side by side, Kate taking in the new world around her and Castle watching her. He was blatantly staring and he knew it. He also knew he shouldn't be doing it, but he couldn't help himself. She was so beautiful, strong and smart. He would be fool not to look at her for as long as possible.

"You're staring, Castle. It's disturbing." Kate stated, her eyes never moving from the path in front of them.

"I'm not," he stuttered out in vain. He had definitely been staring.

Kate rolled her eyes and he smiled. He truly had missed her and he felt his heart swell in his chest before he shook his head. She had said it herself, she didn't belong here in New York and that it would never work between them. She still wasn't ready for a relationship and even if she were, Alexis needed to be here and Kate wouldn't want to stay in the city. She belonged back in Colorado. As beautiful as she had looked the night before in the gown, with her hair twisted up in curls, she would be miserable forced to live that life day after day. She knew that, he knew that. He just had to accept it and move on. Gina was his chance to move on.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he spotted a shop up ahead. "Wait here," he ordered as he put a hand on her arm to still her movements. "I have to get something for you."

Kate raised a single eyebrow at his command but complied, stopping to lean against a wall, her leg bent up, bracing her, in usual form.

He strolled quickly towards the shop, standing at the counter, pointing out what he wanted and paying as quickly as possible. When he walked back, his purchase in his hand, he found Kate in the same spot he had left her and he let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he was afraid she would wander off; he was afraid he would turn around and find that she had never truly been there at all, that his imagination was playing an evil trick on him. But she was here.

"This is for you," he stated grandly as he held out his hand and bowed towards her.

She took the object from his hand hesitantly, bursting into laughter that made the passing pedestrians on the street turn to stare as she figured out what it was. "A lemon cream puff?"

"I saw it and thought of you."

"You're a bastard."

"You love me."

Castle's breath caught in his throat as Kate's eyes grew wide. He hadn't meant to say that.

"I… Kate… I didn't mean..."

"It's fine, Castle," she dismissed, taking a bite of the pastry and setting off again down the road. "This is good. You should try one."

They walked in silence again but this time it was fraught with tension and the emotions they were both trying to suppress for the other's good.

"So," Kate started after another few minutes. "You're really writing a book?"

Castle nodded. The book. He could talk about the book. "Yes, ma'am, it is the tale of a fearless, tough as nails sheriff who is the only person smart enough to take down the countries worst fugitives and, of course, is beautiful and cunning while doing it."

"So, your sheriff is a woman? I thought you would make it a man so you could actually have the chance of getting it published."

"Oh, don't you worry, my dear Sheriff Beckett. I will get it published. That is the benefit of having friends in the publishing field." Castle's chest puffed out slightly as he laid out his plan for her. The up side of being the acting editor of the New York Times was the connections he was obtaining in the business. He would get his novel published, he would tell Kate's extraordinary story.

"What's her name?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your sheriff's name. What is it?"

"Caroline West."

Kate let out a sigh of relief. "That's not so bad."

"You were expecting a bad name?"

She just smiled and Castle chuckled. He could already see the eye roll he would get when he told her the two titles he was currently debating between: "Carry Me Home" and "How West Was Won.". He would probably get an ear twist for the last one. No one won Kate Beckett, not yet at least.

He looked over at her again, watching as she popped the last bit of the pastry into her mouth. Her hair still held a slight curl from the party and her cheeks had a little more fill than they had when he had last seen her walking away from him on that platform in Colorado. Her boots were still scuffed, her hat hung down her back in its usual fashion and her hands were jammed into the pockets of her coat. She was still the Kate he knew and… No, he wasn't going there; one slip for the day was enough. She was still his Kate; she was just better.

"You really do look good Kate."

She looked up at him and her genuine smile warmed his heart. "Thanks Castle. So do you."

He could hear in her voice that she meant it.