A/N: Thanks for your patience everyone. I've been crazy busy, but I am NOT abandoning this account or my fics. So much studying lately. I've been shocking myself. Also, this is very random, but there's lots of writers here... anyone into roleplaying? I'm trying out Kate Beckett and I have an Alexis. We need everyone else and hopeful. Desperate? Absolutely. =) Message me if you're interested. If not, ignore this and enjoy the stories. Thanks for your support loves!

Kate smiled when she saw Richard coming down the stairs as she stood over the stove, transferring the rest of the scrambled eggs onto a plate. Alexis and Martha were already seated and helping themselves to pancakes. "Good morning."

Rick smiled back at her as he kissed his daughter and mother on the cheek, making his way to his girlfriend. Once he reached her, he pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "You're cooking? How did I end up being the luckiest man alive?"

The detective smiled up at Rick and kissed him gently on the lips. "Count your blessings," she teased and quickly kissed him again before he could say anything. As she pulled away, she saw the smile pulling from his lips.

"Yeah dad, don't mess this up," Alexis cut in. The couple looked over at her with matching smiles. "Kate's pretty much the best thing that's happened to us in a while. And I'm not just saying that because she cooks," she added with a smirk.

"Yeah I cook for you guys," Kate laughed as she pulled away from him and grabbed a plate. She filled it and handed it to Rick. "Please keep me around."

He accepted the plate and looked at her with such a serious look on her face; she just bit her lip instead of speaking. "I've wanted to be with you for so long, so don't even go there Katherine Jaclyn Beckett."

Kate tried her best not to laugh but failed. "Still trying to figure out the middle name there, I see?"

"Why won't you just tell me woman?" He watched her make a plate for herself and when she didn't answer, he looked over at Alexis and Martha. "She won't tell me her middle name."

"Richard, are you whining?" Martha rolled her eyes. "It's not attractive darling. So she doesn't want to tell you her middle name? So what? I think you know more personal things about her that you shouldn't even be worried about something so insignificant."

The novelist looked from Kate to his mother. "I think you just proved my point."

"Well I certainly didn't mean to."

"But if Kate and I are on such a personal level, which we are, then why should she care about me knowing her middle name?"

Martha opened her mouth to speak, but the argument was lost. Her son had made a decent point.

"I don't think middle names matter," Alexis cut in. "You know her first and last name. You know all the little things about her and better yet, you know she's with you."

Kate placed a hand on Rick's shoulder and smirked up at him. "Listen to your daughter."

He shook his head. "She's just saying that because she doesn't like her middle name."

The young redhead turned her head to Kate, a dead serious look on her face. "My mother spelled it wrong on my birth certificate."

Rick stifled a laugh. "That woman has issues. Don't let it get to you."

Before Rick could say anything, Kate ripped off a piece of her pancake and stuck it in his mouth. "Okay so we established that middle names don't really matter. Thank you Alexis," she smiled over at her and kissed Rick on the cheek as he chewed his food. "And you. Well you're even cuter when you're silent."

Rick thought it over for a moment and ultimately decided to drop the argument. A dorky smile pulled from his lips, his cheeks puffed out from his food.

Martha groaned with light disgust. "You didn't get that from me. Swallow your food already."

There was a knock at the door and Alexis offered to get it before anyone else could. Kate looked up at Rick, who was pouting while having a stare down with his mother. "Listen to your mother."

She loved how she fit right in with his family, even though there was an undeniable tension between herself and Rick at the moment. Maybe no one else felt it, but they never officially resolved their issues from the night before. She tried, but he was sleeping. Maybe they were just going to forget about it? Than again this was Richard Castle. He didn't just let things go.

"Dad, Kate," Alexis called out. "Detectives Ryan and Esposito are here," she came back into view and sure enough the men followed from behind. "I'm going to get changed," she decided tactically and disappeared. Martha offered a 'hello' and excused herself as well.

"Don't you guys have a home?" Kate asked with a lighthearted smile. "Seriously, what are you doing here?" she began to clear the table.

"Well isn't this cute," Ryan smirked. "You're all just one big happy family."

"You cooked?" Esposito added. "Did you make Alexis a brown paper bag lunch too?"

She rolled her eyes. "Actually I was thinking about making cookies for the school bake sale, but I need to look the part. I'd like my mom jeans back," she leaned against the counter, just waiting for the actual topic to come up. Rick was quiet and picked up from where Kate left off, running the sink to wash the dishes.

"Do you know how to answer a phone? Either of you?" Esposito asked.

"Mine is upstairs," she flashed a guilty look. "Rick's must be too or else he would have answered. What's going on?"

"Our guy from last night claims he had someone helping him, but he won't give up any names," Ryan said in a professional manner.

Thinking about the man from the night before gave Kate the chills. Without thinking, she ran a hand over her ribs and flinched gently at the contact she'd made. It would be sore for a while. "He couldn't be lying to divert the attention."

"Could be," Ryan agreed. "But we need to check on it and we just wanted to give you an update. When you didn't answer, we got worried."

Kate ignored the last part of what he said and tried to keep the conversation going when she noticed Rick glance over curiously. "We'll see what we could find at his apartment. But trust me, I think this was a one man job."

Esposito shrugged. "Probably. Hell, I'd be looking for a distraction too if I was facing murder. Oh and let's not forget about assaulting a cop. How're you doing anyway?"

Wide eyed, she looked over her shoulder to find Rick looking at her. Glaring would actually be most accurate. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

Ryan and Esposito felt the tension and looked at each other. "Awkward," Ryan mumbled. "We're going to get to work. See you later? Alive? Maybe."

What was worse than Rick finding out about her getting hurt on the job like this, was her team bailing on her right after. She didn't want to fight but she knew Rick would say something either way. Once they were gone, she looked back over at him, a look both guilty and scared. "I'm sorry."

"That you got hurt? Don't be Kate," he walked over to her and he had a feeling he'd be angry with her if he hadn't noticed the bruising the night before and found out from their friends. He couldn't forget her reaction to the pain. The more he thought about it, the guiltier he felt. "I noticed it last night."

She let him pull up the shirt she'd borrowed from him, biting her lip when she saw the look on his face. She knew exactly what he was thinking. "This would have happened whether you were there or not. I know you're not going to believe it, but the timing was just bad."

"I'd like to believe that, but either way you got hurt. I could have protected you," he frowned.

The detective hated this. Dealing with the fact that someone actually hurt her was slightly annoying, but knowing that her boyfriend was going to blame himself was worse. She'd tease him to lighten the mood and tell him that she needed to protect him most of the time, but that wasn't true at this point. He was more helpful than aggravating.

"He was trying to run, so I went after him. I tackled him and he punched me. He pulled a gun, but I'm faster than that," she smiled softly. "It also helped that Esposito nearly knocked the guy out."

Castle kissed Kate's forehead and sighed. "I'm going to have to thank him later," he pulled her close and sighed. "I just wish you could have told me yourself this morning."

"I didn't want to worry your mother and Alexis. I was going to tell you, but they had to come out of nowhere and spill," she sighed. "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you," she kissed his neck.

"I believe you." Rick wasn't just saying it. He trusted her with everything he had. "Katherine Cynthia Beckett."

She looked up at him, a smirk on her face. "It's Nada."

He raised a brow. "Excuse me?"

"My middle name is Nada."

"Tell me it means 'nothing'."

She hit his chest lightly with the back of her hand. "Close. It actually means 'hope' in Croatian. Nice try though. If you joke around and laugh about it, I know how to use a gun."

If only he could count all the times he heard that. "I love it baby," he whispered, moving her hair out of her eyes. "Katherine Nada Beckett," as beautiful as it was, he couldn't help but chuckle a little.

She pulled away from him and tried to hide a smirk as she rolled her eyes. "You suck."