Rick was was waiting for Kate in the lobby wearing an incredibly expensive, incredibly handsome suit with a deep blue shirt that really complimented his blue eyes. Kate suddenly felt self-conscious about her dress and wondered if it was fancy enough. Rick had said that the event was basically a cocktail party and assured her that whatever dress she wore would be perfect, but now she was wondering if she should have bought something new. He had his hands in his pockets and was looking out across the student lounge area where students often gathered to study or hang out. And then he noticed her. Whatever doubts she had were quickly erased when she saw the way that Rick smiled at her and admired her appearance. She walked right up to him and gave him a kiss on the lips and whispered in his ear, "You look amazing." She nuzzled his ear and inhaled the scent of his cologne.
"And you look breathtakingly gorgeous," he replied as he pushed Kate back at arm's length so that he could admire her dress. "And tall, really tall," he observed as he took in her 4 inch stilletto heels. The blue of Kate's dress and the blue of Rick's dress shirt were nearly identical. Well, thought Kate, at least we'll look good together when our picture ends up in the paper tomorrow. "We are going to look fantastic together." Kate laughed.
"You read my mind, we couldn't have planned this any better if we tried." Rick took Kate's hand and led her out to the town car that was waiting for them at the curb. He didn't want to risk embarassing her in front of her classmates by picking her up with a limo so he opted for the more understated town car. Rick opened the door to let her in the back seat and then slid in to sit beside her.
"Kate, I have a confession, I did this on purpose." Kate was confused.
"Did what on purpose?"
"Wore this color to match your dress."
"But how did you know what I was going to wear?"
"I peeked in your closet the other day, when I stayed over. I was looking for my jacket but couldn't help notice this dress and I just knew you were going to wear it tonight. Or maybe I just hoped you would." Kate didn't even care that he was snooping through her things, she thought what he did was kind of adorable.
"You took a gamble there, stud. I do have other dresses you know." That wasn't entirely true because her other dresses wouldn't have been right for this kind of party.
"You're not mad at me for looking through your things?"
"Nope. That just means I have an all access pass to go through your things." Kate shot him a devilish smile and Rick laughed.
"You got it, feel free to go through all my closets tonight." Kate froze and Rick immediately realized what he said. "Or whenever you end up coming over to my place. I mean, um, I was hoping?" Kate's stomach did a small flip. She was not expecting this.
"What about your daughter?"
"Alexis will be asleep when we get there and tomorrow, well, she wants to meet you and I think it's time. So I guess I'm asking you to stay over tonight." Kate's worried looking face slowly turned into a smile. She leaned over and kissed him. Thoroughly. "So I guess that's a yes?" Kate nodded and snuggled into his side.
For the rest of the short ride to the party, Rick prepared Kate for what she would encounter when they exited the town car. There wasn't a red carpet, it was a short walk from the sidewalk into the upscale bar in midtown Manhattan. The entire place was reserved for the party. There were some reporters hanging outside, snapping pictures as guests showed up, but it wasn't overwhelming by any means.
The new couple walked in with their arms linked and Kate had to remind herself to breathe. She was very nervous, having never been to anything like this before. She was used to casual college parties at friends' apartments or hanging out in a very different kind of bar. Bars with saw dust on the ground and pool tables in the corner. They were greeted by a life-sized cardboard figure of Richard Castle standing next to an impressive tower of Unholy Storm in its new paperback format.
"Who's that guy? He's pretty cute." Rick's heart skipped a beat for a moment until he realized that Kate was pointing at his cardboard twin.
"You can take him home after the party if you want, nail him to the wall next to your bed. It will be like I'm watching you sleep."
"That's kind of creepy, Rick." Kate laughed at the mental image and then leaned in close while she ran her fingers up the soft skin on the inside of his wrist. "Besides, I'd rather have the real thing watch me while I sleep."
"Bruschetta?" Rick had snagged one of the hors d'oeuvres from a waitress that walked by with a tray and offered it to Kate. He needed a distraction from the very arousing effect that she was having on him. She smiled and took it from him. Her nerves were stronger than her hunger, but she hadn't eaten dinner so she reasoned that she probably should eat something or whatever wine she drank would go straight to her head. She didn't want to make a fool of herself at Rick's party.
"This is really good, you have to try it." Kate popped the rest of the bruschetta into Rick's mouth just as someone snapped a picture. They both noticed and laughed. "Great, my first picture with you in the paper is going to be me feeding you."
"Then we'll have to give them something better to print." And with that he leaned over and kissed her square on the lips. It was a quick kiss, nothing indecent, but long enough for the cameras to snap a few pictures. When he pulled back they held each other's gaze for a few moments before either of them was able to speak.
"Marking your territory, Mr. Castle?" Kate asked as she reached up to wipe a crumb away from the corner of the writer's mouth.
"The way you look tonight in this dress? You better believe it, Miss Beckett. Now that that's settled, let me introduce you around.
The rest of the evening went by quickly and Kate had a great time. After Rick kissed her in front of the cameras, all the awkwardness of the situation disappeared. She was able to relax and enjoy the party. She especially enjoyed how Rick introduced her as his girlfriend to everyone that she met. There was one slightly uncomfortable moment when she met his publisher, Gina, and his agent, Paula. Both women scrutinized her so closely she felt like she was being interviewed for a job. Paula she could understand, she was his publicist and who he dated became part of his public image. Gina, on the other hand, almost seemed like a jealous ex-girlfriend. Kate made a mental note to ask Rick about that later. Even though Rick had previously told her that they were just friends, her instincts told her that there was a story there.
It was just past midnight when they finally landed at the door to Rick's loft, both a little tipsy from the endless wine that seemed to appear instantly in their glasses before they had a chance to empty them. Rick told Kate to make herself at home while he walked Sarah, the babysitter, downstairs and put her safely into the same town car that had just brought them back to the loft.
Kate took her shoes off by the door and took a deep breath as she looked around the impeccably decorated, incredibly spacious loft that Richard Castle called home. Richard Castle. She was standing in Richard Castle's home and she was most likely about to have sex with him in his bed. With his daughter somewhere in the apartment. Suddenly she was incredibly overwhelmed by the strange reality that was now her life. When Rick returned to the loft he found Kate in the same place where he left her, standing by the door with a blank expression that he couldn't read. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her softly into his side.
"Everything OK?" Kate turned in his embrace and her expression softened when she met his concerned gaze.
"Yeah, of course, I'm just a little overwhelmed." She turned to face him and brought both arms around his neck as Rick's hands settled around her waist.
"Kate, I don't have any expectations about tonight. When I invited you over I didn't mean that we had to - "
"No - " Kate interrupted him. "No, no, that's not at all what I meant by overwhelmed. That is something that I am completely OK with. Looking forward to even." Kate laughed as Rick breathed out a sigh of relief.
"So what's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just your place, it's beautiful Rick, really beautiful. And this evening was just perfect and I had a really great time. It just kind of hit me. You're YOU and I'm, well, just me and being with you is wonderful, but sometimes it feels like a dream. You know?" Kate was having trouble expressing herself but Rick seemed to understand exactly what she was trying to say.
"Kate, you are extraordinary, and I'm the one that has to pinch myself every day to make sure that I'm not dreaming." With that he leaned down and pressed his lips to her mouth, trying to convey his feelings though a tender yet passionate kiss that removed all traces of doubt. As the kiss deepened, Kate felt herself losing her balance so she reluctantly broke the kiss and pulled back.
"Maybe you would like to show me around your place?"
"You want a midnight tour of my loft?" Rick's brow creased in confusion and Kate smiled, thinking how adorable he looked.
"Let's start with your bedroom. You can show me the rest tomorrow."
Kate woke up nestled in the most comfortably soft sheets she had ever slept in. Rick was drawing slow circles across her naked and exposed stomach while he peppered the side of her face with soft kisses. As the room around her slowly came into focused she realized that there was a piece of paper lying across her chest.
"A unicorn? Really?" Kate picked up the picture of a very sparkly and very pink unicorn that was covering her otherwise exposed breasts. "I didn't realize that you were an artist too." Kate smiled as she studied the details of the picture that was obviously not created by her boyfriend.
"I asked Alexis if she wanted to wait so she could give it to you herself, but she was nervous and asked me to show it to you before you meet her."
"That's so sweet, Rick, really adorable." She looked at him with a genuine smile that melted his heart. "So she knows that I'm here?"
"Yeah, you were sleeping so peacefully. I didn't want to wake you, but she was up so I made her some pancakes. There's plenty left for you. Can't send you back to school on an empty stomach." Kate panicked for a second until she caught the time on the clock next to the bed. Nine o'clock, not bad, still two hours away from her Friday class. She breathed an audible sigh of relief. "Don't worry, I remembered about your class." Kate leaned forward and helped herself to a good morning kiss.
"Thank you. Where is Alexis now?"
"She's already at school." Kate's smile disappeared. She had really been looking forward to meeting his daughter. Especially after – she panicked for one small second as she considered the possibility of the tabloids being right, that Richard Castle was a playboy and she had just become one more notch on his headboard and now he was ready to move on to the next bimbo. Rick could see the look of diappointment and worry that started to creep up Kate's face.
"I was hoping you'd come over for dinner tonight. Meet her then. I just felt so bad for keeping you up so late on a school night. I figured the least I could do was let you sleep in." Kate mentally slapped herself for doubting this wonderful man for even a nanosecond. Her apology came in the form of actions that would have been wholly inappropriate had his daughter been awake on the other side of the bedroom door. Kate had already managed to rid Rick of his robe and was working on his pajama pants when her phone started ringing on the nightstand. She ignored it, but then it rang a second time. She let out a string of curses as she reached for her phone.
"Hello?" She answered without checking the caller ID in a very irritated tone.
"Katie?"
"Oh, hi Dad!" Rick's eyes widened as his hand halted on the inside of Kate's thigh and he mouthed the word "Dad?" with surprise in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Jim Beckett had just picked his morning paper up from outside his front door and was sitting down to enjoy his morning cup of coffee when he nearly spit it out all over himself. He must have stared at page 6 of the New York Ledger for about 10 minutes before he finally dialed his daughter's cell phone.
"Katie, is there something that you want to tell me?"
AN: OK, clearly I suck at updating my story on a regular basis. Sorry! I just realized that I started this nearly 2 years ago, which is kind of embarrassing. I think I need to find a way to wrap this one up and move on because I have another really great idea. This time I should probably write the whole thing before I publish so I don't have this kind of ridiculous delay between chapters. Thank you for sticking with me and welcome to all the new readers!