Disclaimer: Yo! I don't own much. I own my imagination, but it is running away from me. I don't own Castle or anything associated with it. Oh, I don't own Lady Antebellum songs, lyrics or melodies.

A/N: Thanks for reading, but you aren't commenting. Can't you just write hey, what's up, stop flipping writing because you suck! I can't handle it. I'm a big girl. This chapter will have a flashback that I think is an important to a chapter I have coming soon. I've already been working on it actually. It just doesn't fit right now. So you'll have to keep reading. The rest of the chapter is going to be part of the date, just a kiss good night and a conversation between Alexis and Beckett (Spoiler alert 4x15). And that's all for my fic's spoilers. Read if you want more! Flashback to the morning of the date with Kate will be in italics.

He is making breakfast in the loft like he always does. He loves this time to bond with Alexis and his mother if she is around. He's finishing up the scrambled eggs, but before he starts toasting slices of bread he wonders why Alexis hasn't came down yet. His mother sometimes sleeps in, but this is he and Alexis, father and daughter time; surely she must be awake he thought. He heads upstairs briskly to check on her. He reaches her door and it's ajar, open just enough so he can see she is awake looking out the window listening to music. She looks sad or that she is deep in thought. The break up with Ashley comes to his mind and then he begins to listen to the lyrics of the song she is playing on her I-home.

He hears:

"Caught up in the moment"

"Caught up in your smile"

While Alexis is deep in thought, so does his mind drift to all the smiles that Kate has been finally showing him. There was a time before that she would fight with everything within her power to never show him her smile, that he jokes was funny or that she found him cute. He doesn't know what he has done to create this sudden change in Kate, but he sure likes the new Kate.

Then it come to this part of the song:

"We don't need to rush this"

"Let's just take it slow"

His mind drifts again to the wall that he and Kate had a conversation about on the swings that day. He has definitely removed some bricks from it. There is either an opening because he can see some light or maybe it is the lightness in her eyes lately. Then maybe the wall is climbable, he can leap over it with ease and never look back. He is hopeful either way.

Then the chorus takes over:

"Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight"

"Just a touch of the fire burning so bright"

"No I don't want to mess this thing up"

"I don't want to push too far"

"Just a shot in the dark that you just might"

"Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life"

"So baby I'm alright, with just a kiss goodnight"

It is so clear that it hits him. All of the songs do make sense when you know you are in love. So he doesn't want to mess things up with Kate and he's going to let her take the lead, but right now he knows that she knows how he feels and the same for her. He knows he likes to push her or at least he was the king pusher right up until her being…well being shot. Probably after seeing her have such a hard time dealing with the PTSD and her snapping at him, doesn't help him want to push her too far. So for right now this song fits for where they are at the moment. And it's true he says to himself 'I'm ok with just a kiss goodnight.'

Back to present time

Richard Castle was thinking he is the luckiest guy in the world. Not because he's a best selling author, has the most amazing daughter, has the most supportive mother and all the money he could ever need. To most men, that would be everything and then some, but right now the thing that completes him totally is that Kate Beckett is with him at the New York Rangers game just having fun and drinking beer. I mean, if it weren't for his physical attraction to her, she could pass as one of his best guy friends. He looked over at her yelling through the glass at the referee that just made a call against a New York hockey player for hooking. He just laughed to himself because she was actually having fun and that might have been another thing that made her hit the "hotness" radar for him. He was adding this moment to his list of Kate's hotness moments when she smacked him asking, "Castle, did you see that horrible call?" He was caught off guard because he was deep in thought at the moment. He leaned into the jolt from the smack to make sure not to spill any of his beer.

He laughed as he regained his balance and looked at her smiling from ear to ear, "Yes, I saw it. Terrible. Boo!" as he joined the thousands of other New York fans.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hit you so hard," she smiled up at him.

"No, it's alright. I'm glad you are having a great time. Another piece of the mystery to be titled Kate Beckett," he finished with a smirk. He loved that she was really beginning to open up to her. Talking about experiences with her mother and father, college or younger days, she was really becoming more comfortable with him.

She just gave him a quick happy smile like a child and went back to yelling and screaming at the game. And he went back to watching the game, well and also observing her. He has spent almost a full four years observing her driving to a crime scene, walking up to the crime scene, interrogating the witnesses, chasing down bad guy and girls, but this observing was like watching what it would be like to observe her on a personal level. A level that he could do for the rest of his life, just like it was his job.

(…)

Rick called his town car to meet them on 7th Avenue side of Madison Square Garden to pick them up. The driver was waiting for them by the time they reach to doorway on the 7th. He opens the door for Kate and she slips inside the car, then gets in and sits next to her. He tells the driver her address, so he can drop her off at her place. She is sitting close to him, feeling the warmth of his body as she tries to get closer because it's cold outside. Well, that's the reason she tells herself in her head because she slips her hand under his arm to weave her fingers through his. He notices her movement and grips her hand then turns down to face and smile. They gaze at each other for a moment and she grins back and lays her head on his shoulder. Without lifting her head again she begins to speak, "Castle, thanks for taking me to the game. It was a lot of fun and it brought back some great memories of me with my father," she told him.

"You're very welcome. It was a lot of fun and I conjure up images of you yelling at referees. It's kind of hot," he replied.

She blurts out a laugh, "Is there anything that you don't find hot?"

"Well it's kind of cold outside, but if we are talking about you…well no," he smiled, but she was still leaning into his shoulder.

She just shook her head and leaned in his shoulder. He raised his arm and wrapped it around her. He was amazed at how comfortable all of the conversations went or the touching part most importantly seemed so natural. He was finally comfortable enough to know that Kate would actually let him hold her hand, let him put his arm around her and now on his mind was would she let him kiss her good night. He was feeling fairly confident that everything was going into play. Even they haven't told anyone that they are dating and they themselves haven't really put a lock on the label of themselves yet, but he was feeling that this night was relaxed, fun and took the pressures of a real date off her shoulders. So he was going to go in for the kiss and worry about the wounds that could possibly happen when pushing Kate Beckett too far.

Finally, they made it to her apartment and he asked the driver to wait for him. He would be right down. He leaped out of the car and turned to grab Kate's hand to show her out of the car. He didn't let go of her hand and she didn't want him to anyway. She was enjoying this whole date and her head wasn't actually filled with wonder if this person she is on a date with actually likes her. She wasn't worried at all if he was going to call her the next day. She wasn't worried if she was supposed to call. She also wasn't worried if it was appropriate to kiss on this first date because she's already kissed him. She wasn't worried about the other things because of course Castle will call her, if she doesn't answer he will come to her door, knock, she will let him in, actually he'll just come in because he never waits for an invitation.

They reach her door and she reaches to open the door with her keys. Castle quickly reaches around her and turns the lock with the key to open the door. She turns to look at him and says, "Thank you."

"I'd invite you in, but…" and he stops her by placing his finger up to her lips. He's standing partly out in the hallway, but partly in where she is standing. He leans in slowly while watching her eyes jet from his eyes to his lip and back to his eyes. He gets the last glimpse of her eyes closing and holds for a moment to build the suspense for her, then he kisses her gently bringing his right hand up to cup her face. After a few seconds, he breaks from her and she is still standing for a moment with her eyes closed.

"Kate, I had a really nice time tonight and I'm really trying not to sound like a cliché, but I genuinely had a relaxed and fun night tonight, so thank you," he finished.

She wasn't even relishing at the fact that is sounded cliché like out of a 1940's movie where a man drops off a woman at her door and bids her a good night stating the phrase he mentioned about and doesn't need to be repeated. She was in fact thinking about the electricity that was going through her veins because it sure as hell wasn't blood right now. The touch of his hand and the light and gentle kiss sent shockwaves through her. She was having a tough time to focus at all let alone what he just said to her. This whole evening has definitely cleared up something for her. The feelings were always there, but now she wants him. She really, really wants him to be hers.

"Kate? Are you okay?" he asked while watching her thinking in her doorway.

"Oh…yeah…yes I'm great. Castle, I had a great time tonight too. So, umm tomorrow? I'm meeting with Alexis, so can I see you later or what are you doing later?" goodness, she is a mumbling idiot she thought to herself. And why the hell am I asking him out. We just had a date and what am I desperate.

He laughed because he noticed that she is fighting with herself on her choice of words or words in general, "Well just give me a call afterwards and we maybe we can meet after you talk with her."

So logical and easy those words were and she couldn't just blurt hers out, but she smiled. "Well I bid you a good night, Detective," and he tipped his fake hat to her, then he leaned his to place a kiss on her cheek. There went the electricity again and if she blinked anymore times she could have sworn the lights in the hallway flickered.

Pulling herself together she said, "Good night, Castle." She watched him walk off down the hallway.

(…)

Kate makes it to the coffee shop before Alexis, so she goes to get a coffee and she finds a table near the window by the street so she can easily be seen. She just sits down with her beverage and in walks Alexis and their eyes meet. Alexis makes her way to the table and takes off her coat.

"Hi, Detective Beckett, have you been waiting long?"

"Hey Alexis, you can call me Kate. No, no I just got here. Would you like me to get you something?"

"No, no, no – I'll get it. Be right back."

Alexis got a beverage and sat down across from Kate.

"So Det…um, Kate, I wanted to thank you for sending me the text message you sent about Dad being worried about me. He worries so much," she thinks to herself that he should worry. Her path and judgment have been a little off lately, but she wants to do something about it. She already told her Dad that she needs to do something to keep busy until she goes to school.

"Oh, well you should see your father when he is worried about you. He tenses up, doesn't hear a word I am saying, can't focus until he knows that you are ok, so I sent a message just to make sure you were ok. I want you to know that I'm always here for you if you need anything, Alexis. I hope you know that."

"Yes, I do know that. You know I should be jealous of you, but I can't hate you. I don't think I could ever hate you because you are so great for my father. You've really changed his life for the better and for that I admire you, Kate. Don't get me wrong, I do hate that he follows you into this situations that scare me half to death and I worry about you and him. Then I think of you both being together and I'm still scared, but I feel better knowing you are together. Last year, I was so scared when you got shot and my Dad really went into a tail spin. He would spend all of his time in his office saying he was working on research and I would ask him if he wanted to do things or ask if he was ok. Most of the time I got 'I'm fine' from him or 'Can we do it another time, I'm working on something?' So it was tough seeing him like that and well now he's on cloud freaking nine."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry Alexis. It was a tough time for me and I just needed to get away. Looking back on it now, I'm not sure why I shut your father out or anyone out for that matter. It is something that I'm working on believe me. Actually, building a relationship with you is part of that, so I'm glad we are having this talk. Speaking of cloud nine, I'm on the same page as he is right now. We are taking things slowly, but Alexis please know that I care about him very much. Even though I was gone the whole summer, he was all I thought about. I didn't mean to hurt him and I'm sorry it hurt you in the process."

"Well I'm glad that you are moving forward and all I can ask is that you don't shut him out. He's very helpful and useful, really his main purpose in life is to help others and that is why I think he has taken to following you around. In his mind, he's helping you and that brings him more joy than anything else."

"Well I can promise you this, I am going to everything I can to not mess this up and I agree with you that I can't keep shutting him out. But hearing it from you, the person who knows him best, well if I stick to opening up more then I should be golden, right?" she winks at Alexis across the table as she takes a sip of her coffee.

"So what's been going on? Are you ready for school?" Kate asked to move the subject onto her.

"Well honestly, I'm so bored right now. I told Dad that I wanted to get a job or start an internship while I wait for school to start. He said to me, why don't you take a trip? He's always thinking about something fun to do with my time and I'm always thinking about useful ways to use my time," she says just shaking her head.

"Haha, I still wonder who is the parent sometimes, you or him?"

She smiled "Well don't tell him, but I need to do something productive right now because my friends are partying up a storm. I can't tell him because he would freak out, well who am I kidding he probably wouldn't. Anyway, I just can't be bothered with all of that. I want to do really well at school and I need to focus. Lately, I've been moping around thinking about the break up with Ashley and I really need to get my mind off of things."

"Well what are you looking to do? I don't think your father mentioned your major or interest to me?"

"Well I'm interested in going to medical school. I became fascinated when we had project at school to determine blood splatter using tomatoes. But who knows at my age, I'll probably change my major a million times. I mean, how about you? Did you always want to be a detective?"

"You've got a point. No, it wasn't my first choice actually," she laughed then she thought almost instantly, "you know Alexis, let me talk to Lanie and see if her medical examiner office does internships."

"Really? You would do that?" Alexis got up from her seat and ran around the chair at the end of the table to hug Kate.

"Well let me ask her first, ok?"

"Sure. Yes, sure," Alexis went back to take her seat again. "Kate," she said her name and paused, "Could we just keep this between me and you? Don't tell my father yet because knowing him, he won't let me do it."

"Ok, well you can be the one to tell him, deal?"

"Deal," Alexis nodded.