I'm really trying to be better. I promise. 'Trying' being the key word.
Thanks to all you awesome people still reading! And thanks to my awesome beta!
The Castle loft was wonderfully quiet. Not a single sound in the apartment as the writer padded through the living room to the kitchen. He knew he had at least an hour to himself before someone else would wake and join him. The three always slept in, week after week, having never been a church family, and usually reserved Sundays for their lazy day.
But somehow, despite the late night, he had managed to rouse and start breakfast before nine o'clock. The fantastic mood he had woken up in led him to pull out all the stops. French toast, scrambled eggs, and sliced fresh fruit were all waiting for his mother and daughter.
He was whistling a nonsense tune, cleaning the cooking mess when he heard two pairs of footsteps shuffle across the floor.
"Morning!" He called over his shoulder as he finished off the last slice of toast, flipped the burner off and slid over three plates.
"Richard," his mother sighed, "how on earth are you so perky this early in the morning?"
"Really, who are you? And what have you done with my dad?"
The two women perched themselves on barstools, lazily watching as Castle plated and served their breakfast with tall glasses of orange juice. "I hate to break it to you, Sweetheart, but I am, in fact, myself, and I don't plan on that changing anytime soon."
Alexis' lips pulled into a thin smile, her eyes rolled every so slightly. "Seriously, Dad. It's Sunday morning, what do you expect me to think?"
"Must have been quite the evening," Martha hummed over the rim of her glass.
He grinned without even realizing it, completely missing the snap of his daughter's head and her confused look.
"You had a date last night? With Detective Beckett?"
"Yes," he took his seat beside her and forked up a bite of eggs, "I had a date with Kate last night. She took me dancing."
"You?" Martha questioned, "Mister 'I'll-keep-the-chair-warm' went dancing?" She was completely shocked. Floored that her son, who had begged off of dance floors for his entire life, had willingly let a woman take him dancing.
He laughed through his mouthful, swallowed and turned to face his mother. "What can I say? She caught me off-guard. I didn't realize she could…be that relaxed. Kate's always so strict at work, and she was so excited. It was nice to see that side of her. And," he stabbed the fork into a defenseless strawberry, "she's actually pretty good."
"You know, you're always telling me not to judge a book by its cover, Dad. Maybe you should practice what you preach."
"I wasn't judging," he argued, "I was just surprised."
The corner of Alexis' mouth curled up in a smirk, teasing as she stood and rounded the island to drop her plate in the dishwasher, "Well, it's okay to be surprised sometimes. That's what makes things more fun." She leaned in, one hand on his shoulder, "What's wrong with that if she makes you happy?"
Rick looked up at his daughter. His beautiful daughter, wise beyond her years, who for once looked happy at the prospect of his dating. "Nothing," he reached up and rested his hand on top of hers, "you're right, there's nothing wrong with that. I guess it's just still new."
His mother spoke up from the other end of the bar, "I told you that girl was different. But, no," she dragged, "you just couldn't listen to me. I'm only your mother, the woman who raised you."
"If it makes you feel any better, I can honestly say you may have had a point."
"May have had a point? Richard! You're completely taken. Even Alexis can tell, right darling?"
His daughter giggled into his shoulder, nodding. "Dad, it's kind of obvious."
"Really?" He practically shrieked. Thrown at being found out. After an off-handed comment about a get-together with their friends she had asked if they could keep them between themselves, and he thought he had been doing a good job of maintaining their cover. "Kate's gonna kill me."
"We won't say anything to anyone, I promise." Alexis laughed. "Maybe she can come over for lunch or dinner sometime? I mean," she paused, looking as if she was afraid to finish her thought.
"What is it, Pumpkin?"
"I mean, we - me and Gram – don't really know her that well. And, it might be kind of nice. The last time I saw her she had arrested you, you know."
He chuckled. "Trust me, I know. How about this? I'll ask her, and if she's comfortable with it, we'll figure something out."
The youngest Castle smiled, seemingly satisfied with the proposition. "Sounds good." She leaned in to peck his cheek before hopping off to the stairs, "I'm studying with Paige today, got to go get ready."
The drumming of her feet against the stares faded, the sound replaced with little pause by his mother. "It would be nice to see her when you're not in custody for once."
"Very funny, Mother."
"Oh, come on. You can't blame me for wanting to meet the woman you're apparently dating. Seriously."
"I don't know if I'd say 'seriously' just yet."
She glared at him.
"Like I told Alexis, I will ask her. But I'm not going to push her into anything she doesn't feel ready for."
"I'm impressed, Richard. You've never been this considerate and concerned before."
"Well, Kate's different. I'm not sure how, but she is. And I want to do things right this time."
Martha stood and took a step closer to him before lovingly patting his cheek. "I told you so." She turned on her heel and was halfway across the room when he realized that he couldn't come up with a decent response.
Because she was right.
By the time he arrived at the precinct Kate was already at her desk combing through paperwork for the case they closed yesterday. He smiled at the sight of her, leg pulled up underneath herself, perched over the file with her case notes sitting beside her. The night before he had been worried that she might push back the date to get the work done, but she proved him wrong and put off the tedious forms to go dancing with him.
Some of the other detectives and officers were mulling about with their own work, and he could see Ryan and Esposito camped out in the break room with their own files and lunch. But instead of stopping to talk he headed right for Kate, dropped down in what was now his chair beside her desk.
"Hey."
"Morning Castle." She spoke without looking up, her pen skating along the page. "Late night?"
He could hear the smile, even though she kept her eyes trained on the words she was writing. "Nothing regrettable. How about you? You do anything fun?"
"Nothing special. Saw this guy who's been following me around." She shrugged.
"Sounds dangerous. Those stalker-types? You should be careful."
She smiled, leaning over the forms, "What can I say, Castle? Maybe a little danger's not such a bad thing."
"Well, given the circumstances I think I'll have to agree with you."
"Good." Before she could get too close, Kate leaned back and went right back to her paperwork. "Besides, he's kind of growing on me."
"Oh yeah?"
He scooted to the edge of his seat at her hum, and the small life of her brow and corner of her mouth. "Coffee?"
"Sure," her eyes were brighter when she glanced up at him. He reached for the mug she held out for him. A very nondescript navy blue mug with the NYPD logo on it.
"We need to get you a better mug. This one's too boring."
"Sure, Castle." She laughed, "Whatever you say."
Rick was already making plans to take her shopping for new, more 'her' mugs by the time he reached the break room. He went for the espresso machine, completely oblivious to the two men watching his every step.
He had just gotten the first mug filled when Esposito cleared his throat.
"Oh! Hey. Kind of forgot you guys were in here."
"Yeah, Castle," Ryan spoke up, "we noticed."
"Dude, seriously, you're really going to try to keep hiding this from us?"
Rick looked around, suspicious and doing everything he could to cover his nerves. "What? The coffee machine? I already taught you guys how to use it."
"Really?"
The two men stood up as Esposito shook his head, stepping in far too close for comfort.
"We're not idiots Castle."
Ryan nodded to the bullpen, "You forget we're detectives, or something? We know there's something going on."
"What do you mean?" Rick shifted against the counter. Suddenly he could imagine quite clearly what suspects must feel like opposite the two of them.
Esposito crossed his arms, narrowed his eyes on the writer. "Two of you, sitting a little closer."
"Whispering."
"Smiling."
"Dude, you got her laughing like a high school girl. Obviously, you two are something."
"But exactly what, is what we want to know."
Rick fought to smile, urging himself to relax and not feed their plan to make him crack. "Guys, there's nothing for me to tell-"
"Castle, why don't you just make it easier and tell us? Unless you want us to ask Beckett?"
Clearly there was some sort of good cop-bad cop play going on here.
"Ask me what?"
All three men turned at her question, all struggling to find the right words – any words – to explain themselves.
"I come in here to find out what the hell was taking my coffee so long, and I find you two looking at Castle like he's killed someone. What's the deal?"
"We know."
She looked at Esposito, squinting, confused.
"Know what?"
"About you and Castle."
She turned to Ryan. "So?"
"So, we want some answers."
"Oh, well, if you know so much, why could you have questions?"
They stared at her, Castle watching idly from behind the detectives who stood silent.
"Guys," she shook her head, "I'm a big girl. I'm allowed to see who I want to see when I want to see them. Why don't you lay off a little?"
Kate didn't even give them a chance to counter before she took the one mug of coffee that was finished from the counter and spun on her heel to go back to her desk.
The second she was out of earshot Ryan turned, slapping Rick's arm. "Jeez, Castle!"
"What! What did I do? You two were the ones who went all super cop on me!"
"If you had just told us we wouldn't have had to ask you. Now you got us in trouble."
"Again, you were the ones attacking me."
"Oh, come on," Ryan huffed, "we didn't 'attack' you. Strictly man to man conversation."
"Don't be so sensitive, Castle. Unless…that's Beckett's thing…"
Ryan reached out in an instant, putting a hand firmly on his partner's shoulder. "Dude. It's Becket. You really want to go there?"
Rick could see the realization hit Esposito. The man's face blanked at the thought. He had to fight back the laugh. "Yes, we're together. Happy now?"
"Yes," Ryan answered. "That's all we ever wanted to know in the first place."
"But let's get one thing straight," Esposito had straightened up, one finger aimed at Rick, completely serious, "she's our partner, too. Don't screw things up."
"Don't forget we know how to hide a body."
Rick nodded. "You got it. Won't do anything stupid."
Both detectives dropped the threatening faces as they stepped back. "Good," nodded Esposito.
"But for the record," Ryan smiled, "we are happy for you guys."
"Thank you," he sighed, relieved. "And, for your own peace of mind, I really do care about her. I don't have some sort of agenda, and I wouldn't do anything to hurt her."
The two gave one last nod of approval before leaving the writer to make the second mug of coffee he first came in for, watching silently as he pressed buttons and turned levers before leaving with the steaming drink.
Letting out a heavy breath, he settled back into the chair next to Kate's desk.
"I think that alone was enough to quell any future desire to break the law."
"Really now?"
"Mhmmm." He shook his head, exaggerated, with his eyes wide.
"Remind me to call them in the next time you don't listen to me."
"Oh no. I beg you, within an inch of my life, to never make me face them that way again."
"Calm down, Castle. They're just messing with you."
"And yet somehow, I'm not entirely convinced."
Kate laughed at him before picking up a stack of completed files. "You just stay here and relax then. I'm gonna go file these."
He couldn't help but watch her as she walked away. How had they gotten here? Something had changed. When, he didn't know. But after two and a half dates, and thinking about the way she smiled, the way she let him into her life, he definitely wasn't about to do anything to change it back.
He was typing away on his new project that night when he heard a soft knock on his office door.
"Hey, Dad?"
Rick looked up from the laptop screen at his daughter's tentative call. The door was barely open, her face peering shyly around the edge.
"Yeah?"
"Can we talk?" Curious, he lifted the computer from his lap, putting it on the desk so he could sit up. She was quiet, eyes downcast as she came further through the doorway.
"Of course, Sweetie. What's up?"
"You remember when I said how it might be nice to get to know Detective Beckett better?"
He nodded.
"Well, I really meant it. I think it would be great. And I was talking to Paige about it earlier when we finished our work, telling her about how you're dating her, you know?" Alexis had approached the edge of his desk with some slip of paper between her fingers, he noticed. "And I was talking about how I don't really know much about her because I've only seen her twice, and before I could stop her she had gotten her laptop and-"
"Alexis," he grabbed her arm, pulling her into him, just hoping that the contact would help calm her down, "relax. Take a breath. Just tell me, what is it?"
"Dad, we found this." With a shakey hand she passed over the eight and a half by eleven sheet. "Is it true?"
Rick looked down into the smiling faces of Kate and her parents – the same Christmastime photo that sat on her desk at the precinct. Underneath were the words he had never expected to read.
James Michael Beckett died November 27, 1999, as a result of an unfortunate act of gang violence. He was a dedicated lawyer and a devoted father and husband, who loved to camp and fish with his friends and spend lazy weekends with his family. James Beckett is survived by his wife Johanna and daughter Katherine.
He felt as if someone had punched him in the gut. The sound drained away from the room as his eyes scanned the page again. Ten years ago. Her father had been killed. It explained so much. But…she hadn't told him.
It was enough to make him sick. Ten years ago Kate would have barely been older than Alexis. He couldn't even imagine-
"I don't know." He managed to get the words out past the tightness of his throat. "I'll….I'll ask her, okay?"
"Dad. Kate had to be like…18 then." His daughter's voice cracked, near to tears as she clung to the arm he had draped over her shoulders. He let the paper drop to the ground and turned to gather her completely in his arms.
"I know, Sweetie." He rocked her back and forth. Just as he did when she was small and couldn't sleep. "I'll talk to her okay? Will that help."
Alexis nodded against his chest with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, Dad. I shouldn't have pried."
"It's alright."
He could only continue the comforting sway, back and forth in the corner of his office. He thought about Alexis, and what would happen to her if something should happen to him. Would she be alright? Would she be a cop like Kate?
And Kate.
His thoughts shifted to the detective. His…girlfriend? The woman he was completely captivated by. Her family had been torn apart by some stupid gang. Just a kid when it happened and somehow she managed to become the amazing woman she was.
How the hell could he rip that wound open again?
I actually had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Tappin
=)