A/N: Have I mentioned how much I love you guys? Because I really do. Your support has been nothing short of amazing. Thank you so much for that. I want to thank FanficwriterGHC in particular for the most encouraging message I've ever gotten. Emma, you are a star. Seriously.

Anyway, I'm not sure I'm completely satisfied with this chapter, but it was something that had to be dealt with eventually. Hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: Don't own Castle.

Someone Like You

Chapter 11

They remained in the office for a few more minutes, just enjoying each other's warmth and whatever that feeling bubbling up inside her was. After a while, Kate sighed and checked her watch. It was still early, just past 9:30pm and if all went according to plan, she would have the day off tomorrow. Leaning in, she pressed a kiss to his jaw and pulled on his hand so they could walk back to the living room.

Tyler was sprawled out on the couch fast asleep, much like he usually was at home, and Kate let out a quiet chuckle at her son's amazing adaptability. Sitting down next to him, she leaned down and kissed his messy brown hair. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her and she would do anything in her power to protect him from any harm. Her heart still ached for Alexis, but she was glad that the little girl had her dad and she knew she was Rick's entire world.

Sitting up straighter, she leaned back, resting her head on the back of the couch, her hand lingering on her boy's back. She felt Rick sit down next to her and her body involuntarily gravitated to the warmth of his. His arm fell around her shoulders and pulled her closer. Kate sighed, relaxing further into him.

"You okay?" His voice was quiet in her ear and she closed her eyes, nodding.

"You?" she asked, pulling Tyler's feet over her legs so she could sit more comfortably, but not sever the connection with her son. She needed to be near him right now.

"I'll be fine." He murmured into her hair and she knew that however much he had overheard from her conversation with Alexis, it had shaken him. Seeing your child in pain always had that effect.

"She'll be okay, Rick." She took the hand that was drawing circles on her thigh and entwined their fingers.

"I know, I just…" he sighed heavily and kissed her hair. "Thank you for talking to her, for comforting her. She had never told me any of that. I knew it hurt her, but she never said anything."

"You don't have to thank me. I have a bit of knowledge on the 'I just want my mom' front, although my reasons are wildly different from hers." She said quietly, hoping he would leave it alone, but knowing he wouldn't.

"You told her you lost your mom, right?" he asked gently, his fingers soothingly running up and down her arm. Kate swallowed hard, not sure if she was ready for this, but not seeing a way out. She stalled for a few seconds, looking around the room. The lights were dimmed and she was glad for that. He wouldn't be able to see much of her in the near darkness.

"Ten years ago, yeah." She whispered, eyes closed, breathing in and out to keep her voice from shaking. "She was murdered."

"Oh, Kate, I'm so sorry." She felt him hug her tighter and turned her head to bury her face into his neck, seeking comfort.

"They never caught who did it." Her voice shook slightly and she swallowed hard, willing the knot in her throat to dissolve. "You asked me the other night why I became a cop."

"That's why?" he turned to place a kiss on her forehead. His fingers squeezed hers comfortingly and she nodded.

"I was determined to catch him. I had to find out who took her away from me, from my dad. I had to punish him. I had to because my mother deserved justice. My family deserved justice." She whispered harshly, forcing back the tears that were burning behind her eyes. "But then I got pregnant." She took a deep, fortifying breath, his scent comforting her. The warmth of her son's body under her hand gave her strength to keep talking. "I was in a bad place then. Josh, Tyler's father, just made everything worse by falling off the face of the Earth. My pregnancy was hell. My dad… he took my mom's death hard, turned to alcohol."

"Is he still…?" Rick asked quietly, hesitantly and she shook her head, pulling away to look at him.

"He has been sober for five years now, but it was really hard for a while." She sighed and he reached out to her, brushing her tears away with his thumb. She hadn't even realized she had been crying. "But then Tyler barged into my life and became my world. I had to take care of him because he was this tiny little baby and I had to protect him. He gave me back my life, my sanity. I don't know what would've happened if he didn't exist because my life was spiraling out of control before him, Rick. He grounded me to reality."

"How old were you?"

"When mom died?" she asked, leaning into his touch, and he nodded. "Twenty one. Tyler was born two years after that." She told him and leaned back against him, needing to feel his warm body pressed to hers again. He immediately wrapped his arms around her, his chin resting on the top of her head. She felt him press a kiss to her hair and sigh heavily. They were silent for a moment.

"I can't…" He broke the silence after a couple of minutes. "I can't even imagine how hard that must've been, Kate. Can't even… God, you're the strongest person I know." He whispered, his voice laced with emotion. "Going through all that and yet you're still here… and you've got an amazing little boy, who is completely devoted to you."

He pulled away slightly and touched her chin, making her look up at him. She closed her eyes, not able to stand the feelings that were shining on his eyes. If she looked into his eyes, she was going to lose it and she couldn't. Not now, not in front of him. Not with Tyler so close.

"You should hear him talking about you, Kate. He's so proud to be your kid and he loves you so much." He leaned in and kissed each of her tear stained cheeks. "Your mom would be so proud of who you are today." He whispered before pressing his lips to hers.

She felt another tear escape and pulled away, only to hide her face in his chest. He let her cry for a few minutes, running gentle circles on her back and whispering soothing words in her ear. When she finally felt she was in control of her emotions again, she looked up at him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you." She whispered in his ear, pressing her lips to his neck gently. He just nodded and held her closer. She didn't know what she had done to deserve him, but at that moment she thanked whatever higher power had intervened in her behalf.

"Still want to watch that movie?" he asked quietly after a few minutes and she nodded, smiling a little.

"Popcorn?" he grinned slightly at her and she reached out, brushing his hair away from his forehead, her hand lingering on his cheek afterwards.

"Sure." She told him and he kissed her hand before making his way to the kitchen.

Kate sighed and sat back on the couch, closing her eyes for a moment. She had told him. Everything. The only ones who knew about that time of her life – apart from her father – were Lanie and the boys and that was only because they had been there with her, supporting her through every step of the way.

She felt strangely lighter now that she had told him and tried not to dwell on what that could possibly mean. He made her feel so good and comfortable that she had known this was going to happen eventually, especially with how fast they were progressing. She still hadn't even wrapped her mind around the fact that she was in a relationship with Richard Castle. But to be honest, she didn't even know exactly what they were. They hadn't put a label on it, but he seemed to be in it for real. She just hoped she wasn't making a big mistake here, like she did with Josh.

"Mom?" Her eyes snapped open at her son's voice and she looked down at him.

"Hi, sweetie. Come here." She reached her hand out and he immediately took it, using it to pull himself up. "You okay?" she asked when he was comfortably tucked into her side, her arm around his shoulders.

"Were you crying?" he reached up and touched her cheek, following a tear track with his finger.

"It's nothing, baby. Rick and I were just talking about something sad, that's all. We were going to watch a movie now. Is that okay?" she kissed his forehead after brushing his hair away. He nodded, snuggling closer to her, his little arm hugging her waist.

"Where's Lexi?" he asked, trying to stifle a yawn unsuccessfully.

"She fell asleep right after you did, buddy." Rick said, handing a bowl of popcorn to Kate.

"Oh." He reached into the bowl and popped some into his mouth, but couldn't hide his disappointment.

"We can go home if you want." Kate offered, but he shook his head.

"Let's watch a movie." He smiled at her and ate some more.

Rick put on a dvd and sat back down next to Kate, his arm resting on the back of the couch. As was becoming the norm with them, she soon leaned into him and his arm fell to her shoulders. Tyler fell asleep again barely twenty minutes into the movie and Kate smiled at her sleeping little boy. Pressing a kiss to his hair, she held him close, his body reassuringly warm pressed against her side. She turned her head and found Rick watching her with a wistful smile. Pressing her lips to his for a moment, she rested her head on his shoulder as her hand traced circles on his thigh absentmindedly.

In that moment right there she wished she could freeze time.

Kate woke up after 9am the next morning. She stretched her body lazily, refusing to get out of bed just yet. It was cold and her comforter had created this remarkable cocoon of warmth. She heard the door open slowly and then little footsteps making their way toward her bed, followed by someone climbing onto it, slipping under the covers. She smiled at her son's clearly lack of ninja skills and waited for his head to pop up next to hers on the pillow.

"Well, hello there, my little ninja." She kissed his nose and he giggled, throwing an arm around her stomach to get as close to her as possible.

"It's cold." Tyler mumbled, rubbing his cheek sleepily on her shoulder. She kissed his forehead, smiling.

"Do you want breakfast?" She asked and he shook his head, yawning. "Do you want to sleep some more?" She tried again and he nodded, throwing his leg over hers.

"Night, mom." He murmured and was soon asleep again. Kate chuckled and kissed his forehead again, allowing herself to just enjoy her little boy's presence. It wasn't always that they had a chance to sleep in together since she was usually up at the crack of dawn to go to work.

She eventually fell asleep to the sound of her son's steady breathing. When she woke up again it was almost 11 and she was surprised to have slept so late. Tyler was no longer in her bed, but she could hear the TV in the living room, indicating that he was probably watching his precious cartoons. She stretched again, this time sitting up in bed with a yawn. It had been a while since she had slept in this late, but she didn't regret it. She had been exhausted and clearly in need of some much needed sleep.

Getting out of bed, she threw on her old NYU sweater and padded out of the room, looking for Tyler. Just as she had imagined, he was camped out in front of the TV, a bowl of cereal already empty on the coffee table. She walked around the couch and leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"Morning, Ty." She ruffled his hair and he smiled up at her. "I see you made breakfast already, young man." She looked confused at the kitchen table and found toast, jam and orange juice already laid out for her. Tyler shrugged.

"I was already making myself breakfast, just thought I'd make you something too." He said casually and Kate narrowed her eyes at him. "You were crying last night, mom. I don't like to see you sad, so I thought I'd make you something nice." He admitted and she beamed at him, touched.

Walking around to the front of the couch, she picked him up and hugged him tightly, showering his face with kisses. Tyler tried to get away, giggling.

"You are the sweetest little guy ever." She pointed each word with a kiss and felt him wrap his arms around her neck and his legs on her waist.

"I just don't want you to be sad. You've been so happy lately." He pulled away to look at her and she kissed his nose, making him crinkle it with a giggle. "Mom!" he whined and she put him down.

"I'm happy because you are the best kid in the world, Tyler, and you make me the happiest mom." She smiled at him and he grinned back. "Thanks for making me breakfast, squirt."

She ruffled his hair and walked to the kitchen. After eating everything her boy had made her, she joined him on the couch and thought they should just veg there for a little while. She didn't have a case, it was too cold to go out and this was the most perfect her life could get.

They had gotten home late last night as she and Rick had watched two movies, just enjoying each other. Tyler had fallen asleep and Rick had put him in the guest room so he could be more comfortable and they could enjoy being together. Not that they had been fervently making out or about to get down and dirty (although Kate was really looking forward to that part), but being alone gave them the freedom of touching each other a lot more.

Around 1am, Kate decided to call it a night and despite Rick's offer for them to stay the night, she didn't want a repeat of the other day with Tyler asking questions she herself didn't know the answers to. Besides, Meredith was supposed to come back to the loft this morning and the last thing she wanted was another unpleasant encounter with the woman, especially having heard how neglectful she was with Alexis.

Now as she lounged around with her kid, she felt pretty damn good about her life for the first time in a really long time. Tyler was right; she was happier, had been for the past couple of weeks since Rick had unceremoniously barged into her life.

She was starting to think of what she should do for lunch, when her phone rang in her room. She made her way to her bedroom, praying that it wasn't one of the boys calling her in for another case. Grabbing her phone from her nightstand, she sighed in relief when she saw Rick's name flashing as the incoming call.

"Hey." She answered, a smile already forming on her lips. This is getting ridiculous, she thought rolling her eyes at her immediate reaction at the sound of his voice.

"Morning." He said and she could practically hear the smile in his voice. "Are you busy?"

"Not really. Ty and I are just lazing around today. Why?"

"Well," he started with a sigh. "Meredith just came over to pick up Alexis to take her out to go shopping and have lunch."

"Oh. How was she? Alexis, I mean. Was she feeling better?" Kate asked, concerned.

"I think so, yeah. She asked about you, when we're going to see you again." He told her and Kate bit her lip, nervously.

"Oh." She was quiet for a moment. "Is that a good thing? I mean…" The girl was getting attached to her, she could feel it. This was becoming more and more complicated between them.

"It is, don't worry. She could use a good female role model to look up to, Kate, and you're… well, you're pretty awesome." He said warmly and she chuckled.

"Thanks, I guess." She bit her lip again and sighed. Was it bad that she already missed him? It was, wasn't it?

"Anyway, I was wondering if you guys wanted to do something? I've been ditched by my daughter and my mother. You're my only hope." He said dramatically and Kate laughed.

"So basically what you're saying is that I'm your last choice?" she teased and he groaned.

"You know that's not what I meant, Kate." He complained and she laughed again.

"I know, you big baby. I'm just messing with you." She reassured him as she made her way back to the kitchen and looked in the fridge, searching for potential lunch ingredients.

"So… wanna hang out?" he asked after a moment in silence.

"Sure, do you want to come over?" she invited and he immediately agreed. Making plans to see each other in half an hour, they hung up and Kate decided it was probably a good time to take a shower and make herself presentable. "Hey, Ty?" The boy looked up at her. "Rick is coming over for lunch since Alexis is out with her mom. Is that okay?"

"Is Lexi coming over later?"

"I don't know, sweetie. Maybe." She leaned down and kissed the top of his head. "I'm going to go take a shower real quick. Yell if you need me, alright?" She told him and he nodded, never taking his eyes away from the TV.

Kate chuckled and made her way to the bathroom. After a quick shower, she stood in her room with a towel wrapped around her body, trying to decide what to wear. They were staying in so she could go for something a little more casual, right? Finally deciding on jeans and a dark green sweater, she put them on, just in time to hear the doorbell ring. Confused, she checked her phone for the time and sure enough, not even twenty minutes had passed yet.

She walked out into the living room and found her son greeting Lanie.

Great.

"Mom, Aunt Lanie is here." Tyler called out as she made her way to the door to greet her friend.

"Hey, girl." Lanie smiled at her and Kate smiled back, thinking just what she was going to do now that Rick was also coming over.

"Hey. Did we have any plans for today?" Kate asked, giving her a hug.

"Not really. But we talked about maybe grabbing some lunch this weekend?" She shrugged as Tyler led them back into the living room. "I didn't have anything going on today so I thought I'd stop by. Why, did you have any plans?" she asked and Kate shook her head before the doorbell rang again.

"Ty, why don't you get Aunt Lanie something to drink?" She suggested and the boy nodded taking Lanie's hand and dragging her to the kitchen, babbling on about his science project. Kate went to get the door and found Rick smiling, holding a plastic bag with something that smelled delicious. "Hi." She said softly, stepping out into the hallway. "We have company." She told him and bit her lip.

"Who?" he asked curiously, trying to peek at the slightly open door behind her.

"My friend Lanie just showed up. Is that okay with you? Because she can be…" she tried to say, but he silenced her with a kiss. Kate smiled against his lips. "She was the one who thought you were hotter in person." She chuckled and pressed her lips to his again.

"All the more reason for me to meet her." He grinned at her and she slapped his arm. "Kidding, detective. Just kidding. You know I only have eyes for you." He winked at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Just…" she sighed. "Don't let her ask too many questions? Cause that woman can get anything she wants out of people."

"Don't worry about it." He kissed her lips again and Kate turned around, opening the door and allowing them inside. "I brought Chinese, by the way. Have you guys eaten yet?"

"No, that's perfect. I was just trying to figure out what to do for lunch." She squeezed his hand and took the bag from him, placing the containers on the kitchen table.

"Hi, Rick." Tyler greeted him, holding out his hand for a high five, which Rick immediately obliged.

"How are you doing, my man?" he asked as Kate looked at them with a smile. Tyler started telling him about how he had to see the volcano he was making. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lanie looking at the scene in her kitchen interestedly.

"Lanie, this is Rick Castle." She introduced, trying to avoid her friend's knowing look. "Rick, this is my friend Lanie Parish. She is a medical examiner."

"Wow, really? That is so cool." Rick said excitedly and Kate rolled her eyes.

"Only you two would think hanging around with dead people is exciting." She deadpanned and Rick nudged her side playfully.

"I still think your job is pretty awesome too, detective." He gave her that ridiculously cute boyish grin and she tried to fight a smile.

"Shut up." She elbowed his side lightly.

"Anyway, nice to meet you, Lanie. Can I call you Lanie?" He was very charming, she would give him that.

"Sure. It's great to finally meet you too, Rick. I've heard a lot about you." Lanie grinned and Kate groaned inwardly.

"Really?" Rick said slowly, his eyes sparkling with mischief, as Kate glared at her friend.

Those two together was such a bad idea, she thought as she set the table.

After lunch, they lounged around in the living room, talking. Tyler turned on the TV as Lanie and Kate took turns in telling stories about the precinct and some of the most hilarious cases they had worked on together. Lanie sat on a chair off to the side while Rick and Kate stayed on the couch with Tyler. As the conversation wore on, Kate found herself leaning against him, as they had gotten so used to. She only realized what they were doing when she felt him kissing her temple and Lanie's interested gaze upon them. Knowing it was useless to try to hide anything now, she relaxed into him with a sigh.

A couple of hours later, Rick remembered he had also bought a brownie for dessert and Kate went to the kitchen to get it. Opening the freezer, she realized there was no ice cream to go with the chocolaty goodness and Tyler immediately said they must have ice cream with brownie. It was just the way things worked in the world. Looking at Kate, Rick offered to go down to a grocery store to buy some.

"Can I go with him, mom?" Tyler asked, hopefully. Kate nodded and looked at Rick, confirming he was okay with it.

"Go get your coat, hat and gloves. It's really cold out there." Rick said and Tyler ran to his room to get ready.

"Are you sure he can go with you?" Kate asked and he nodded, reaching out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. He couldn't get over how beautiful she was, even when she had no makeup on and was barefoot.

"Of course. Gives us some boys only time." He grinned at her and she smiled that shy little smile he had grown to fight for these past few weeks. Looking behind them to check that Lanie was distracted talking on the phone, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Her taste was something he just couldn't get tired of.

"Okay, I'm ready." Tyler announced, returning to the living room. Rick led him to the door as Kate went back to her friend on the couch.

They made their way down to the street with Tyler telling him about the science fair and how the best project would get this awesome science kit and he was really hoping his project would be good enough. Rick relayed some tales about his childhood and all the bad things he had done as a kid and their mostly painful consequences. They laughed together as they entered the store and Rick smiled at Kate's little boy, thinking just how much his mother had to fight to take care of him all by herself. And here he was, a healthy and really smart kid, super fun to be around. He loved Alexis and loved to have a little girl, but his dynamic with Tyler was completely different. He was still learning how to deal with a boy as he had no previous experience.

As they were walking back to Kate's building, ice cream in hand, Tyler interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, Rick, can I ask you a question?" he looked up at him shyly and Rick smiled at him encouragingly.

"Sure you can."

"Are you my mom's boyfriend?" he asked curiously and Rick felt the air punched out of his lungs. Shit. What was he supposed to tell him?

"I, uh…" He took a deep breath, trying to calm down his erratically beating heart. "I don't know, Tyler." He responded honestly. And it was the truth. They had never discussed any labels and this – however intense it was – was still so new between them that he wasn't sure they were ready to put any labels on it.

"How can you not know? I've seen you guys kiss and stuff. That's what boyfriends and girlfriends do, right?" he pressed on and Rick swallowed hard. They should've been more careful.

"Why do you ask?" He tried to evade the question; he needed to discuss this with Kate first.

"Well…" Tyler looked down for a minute, biting his bottom lip in a complete replica of his mother. "I want to know what your intentions are. Because she's really happy right now and I don't want her to get hurt. I hate seeing her sad. And I don't know much about my father because she never talks about him. But I've heard her talking to Aunt Lanie before and I know he hurt her pretty bad. I don't want that to happen again." He said it all in one breath and, if the situation wasn't so serious, he would've found the boy's nervousness funny.

"Ty, I know that. I know she's been hurt bad. I can tell you this much, though." He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and crouched down to Tyler's level to look him in the eyes. "Even though we just met a few weeks ago, I care a lot about your mom. A lot. And I can promise you right now that I will never hurt her or you on purpose. Just like I would never hurt my daughter. Can you trust me on that?"

"I think so." Tyler said quietly and Rick gave him a small smile.

"I won't disappoint you, buddy. Alright? I promise." He watched as Tyler seemed to think it over. A minute later, a smile finally tugged his lips upward and Rick sighed in relief. "Ready to go? There's an amazing brownie waiting for us." The boy nodded and took his hand so they could cross the street.

Rick felt like a weight had just been lifted from his shoulders. He had the most important blessing of all.

A/N: Let me know what you think? Please?