Thank you all, as always, for the wonderful words on the last chapter. I cannot begin to describe what your encouragement means to me.

Our Best Selves - Chapter Thirteen

"Kay, so wait – just to make sure I'm on the same page – he tried to run with his pants around his ankles."

"Uh huh." How she manages to keep a straight face is beyond him, but she does.

"And his pants were around his ankles because, in the middle of burying the body, he'd realized he needed to pee."

Tugging the duvet higher over her bare shoulders, his girlfriend nods. "Yup. Decided to just drop them right next to the body and everything."

Rick shakes with the effort to control his laughter. That is… the best thing he has ever heard.

Kate huffs, swatting at him in an effort to keep him still. Her head settles on his shoulder once more once he calms.

"So we approached and ID'd ourselves like usual, and of course we startled him. So he whipped around, and that was when I realized he was still…" she pauses to gesture, which only sets him off again. God, she has some of the best stories. "Taking care of business."

"He wasn't."

"Oh he was," she insists, choking on her laughter, teasing her fingertip over his chest. "Full stream and everything."

"So did he stop? The waterworks, I mean."

She shakes her head, cackling against his skin. "He ran. Well, waddled is more like it. And it was just…"

Oh jeez, his sides ache from mocking this poor dumb bastard.

"And then he tripped, right? Tell me he tripped."

His girlfriend nods, swiping mirth-induced tears from her eyes as she nods.

"Tripped over a tree root and landed in a truly unattractive position. And he scraped his… manhood… when he fell."

He guffaws, gripping Kate's hip to keep from bucking her off the bed with his laughter.

"That is," he wheezes, dapping at his eyes. "The best thing I have ever heard. I mean, it is awful, and I'm sorry if he traumatized you for life, but it's also the best thing ever. Can I use that in the book? Or something like that?"

Gentle fingers slip along his collarbone. Her mouth follows a moment later, trailing an easy path across his chest.

"Considering the other actual events I know you'll be writing about, go for it."

Her lips twist to let him know she's just teasing. The thought of being memorialized in print doesn't bother her the way it did before; she almost seems excited most of the time, save for a few quibbles here and there.

"I'll have you know that there is only one scene that bears any semblance to our actual sexy times. The rest are simply products of my highly active imagination."

Kate snickers into his chest, rubbing his side. "I like your imagination."

Shivering, he pulls her closer. "I do, too. But I admit I can only tap into that genius because you, Kate, are very inspiring."

"Then I think we could use one more brainstorming session before we start our day, don't you?" she asks, lips brushing his jaw.

Damn, his girlfriend is sexy.

"I think you make a very sound point, Captain Beckett."

They laugh together, pressing into an easy kiss. When she rocks closer, she's insistent, urgent, and his breath escapes his lungs on a low groan.

Instead of pressing him back, she stills, mouth smudged against his.

"Wha?" he breathes.

"Shh, did – do you hear something?"

Rick hums, not hearing much over the heady thrum of his blood in his ears.

"No?" he offers, swiping his lips along her jaw and down the graceful column of her throat.

Kate sucks in a breath, palming the back of his head with a steady hand. "Right. Okay, sorry. Sorry. Imagine away, Mr. Cas-"

They both freeze at the knock – apparently she wasn't hearing things after all – but it's the call of her name that has his girlfriend's face paling.

"Oh, shit. It's my dad."

Pushing on his shoulders and scrambling out of bed, Kate searches the floor and then her drawers for something to wear. His shirt – pants, too – hit him in the face before he manages to formulate an actual thought.

"Your – wait, your dad?"

She huffs, shimmying into a pair of flannel pajama pants and a long sleeve shirt before yanking a hand through her sleep and sex-mussed hair.

"Damn it. We were supposed to have brunch today. I completely forgot. I'll tell him I overslept, but you need to hide."

Rick blinks. "What? Why do I have to hide?"

"Not for long," she promises, urging him to slip into his boxers if nothing else. "I'll go answer the door and tell him I'm running late and I'll get changed. You just… hide."

"Kate," he scoffs, getting to his feet anyway. "Where do you want me to go? Your closet? And why? You know I would've met your dad at Thanksgiving if he hadn't already had plans, right?"

She stares at him, breaking only to call an insistent "I'm coming," to the empty living room. To him, she adds,

"Well, yes, I know that. But he wasn't going to meet you like this, was he? No. So shut up, put your pants on, and get in the closet."

He does love when she gets bossy. Yanking his boxers over his hips, Rick grabs his discarded undershirt and tosses it over his head. "I'm not getting in the closet."

"Will you just do as I ask and get in the closet?" She crowds into his space, urging him backwards. His hands skim her hips, only to be knocked away as she glares at him.

"I'm not getting in the closet, Kate," he refuses, dodging her nudging hands. "I won't even fit, by the way. But for you, I will go to the bathroom and give you a few minutes."

His girlfriend relaxes. "Fine, fine. Thank you. I'll be right back and I'll give you the rest of the plan then."

"The rest of the plan?"

Her answering glare is enough to shut him up. Holding up his hands in surrender, he steps into the bathroom. His toes curl against the tile, and it's all he can do to avoid yelping as a shiver rolls up his spine. "Okay, okay fine. Fine. I'm waiting here."

Beckett exhales, lifting onto her toes to brush her lips across his.

"Thank you. And oh, maybe don't flush? Just yet? And pee quietly?"

Pee quietly? Rick can't contain the snicker. "Kate –"

"Sorry, sorry, that's stupid. Just… don't make too much noise. The walls aren't that thick."

Yeah, he knows that; he has heard everything Mr. Kubiak next door does in his bathroom and it is not pretty. Still, he gives her a nod, watching her scurry away.

His lips split wide. Oh, this will be perfect ammo for some wonderful, joyous, future day. Just when she thinks she has lived this down, he'll remind her. Oh, he will remind her.

She actually hid him from her father. The unflappable, never to be ruffled Kate Beckett had all-but forced him to hide under her bed like they were sixteen and he had been caught climbing in her bedroom window.

He hears Kate let her dad into the apartment, and though their voices are muted, he knows they're in the kitchen talking.

After a few minutes, the conversation ceases and she comes shuffling through her bedroom, her feet slapping gently on the hardwood. With her back, Rick takes that as his cue to deal with his more pressing business.

His girlfriend slips into the bathroom as he's washing his hands. Even in the mirror, he can see her cheeks are an adorable, rosy shade of pink.

"I told him I'm getting dressed," she whispers, stepping into Rick's side. "He wanted coffee, so I made him one of the single-cups. Once he's done, we'll head to the diner. Think you can lay low in here until we leave?"

Rick gapes. She's really committed to this, isn't she? "Why, Captain Beckett, are you ashamed of me?" he asks, reaching around her to dry his hands.

He's just teasing her, but Kate's eyes flare wide as if he is being serious. "Rick, Rick, no. I just… don't want you to meet my dad this way. Remember when your mom slipped on my bra? Remember how embarrassing that was? I just don't want his first time meeting you to be a glaring neon sign that we were in flagrante delicto."

"You are so hot when you speak Latin to me," he hums, cupping the back of her head. Kate grins, curling her fingers at his waist. "I get it, Kate. Just because my mother and I have no boundaries, doesn't mean your relationship with your father is the same."

His mouth lands on hers, taking a slow kiss from her lips. His girlfriend shudders against him, breathing his name.

"But that doesn't mean I'm not going to remind you of this from time to time," he adds, singing the promise into her kiss. "You hid me in your bathroom, Beckett. Tried to hide me in your closet."

"Shut up," she grumbles, sliding her cold fingers under his shirt. "Maybe I just don't want him to meet you when you have that just-got-laid look on your face and a hickey on your neck."

Slapping his neck, Castle schools his face. "You gave me a hickey? Kate!"

"Will you hush?" she hisses. She peels his hand away from his throat, only to replace his fingers with her lips, soft, warm lips.

He hums her name, slipping his fingers into her hair to hold her close.

Her tongue darts out, taking a lazy lap at his skin. "I will make this up to you, Rick, in so many ways."

"Gonna hold you to that," he groans, blinking through the haze of renewed arousal. God, what this woman does to him.

"You can, I promise," she says, nuzzling his throat with her nose. "I'll make sure we're gone in a few minutes, kay?"

He nods, watching her duck back into her bedroom to change clothes. He can't help but observe the way she wiggles into her jeans, laughing when she flops back against her unmade bed.

"Quiet," she orders, reaching for her shirt once the battle against the denim has been won. "You try wearing skinny jeans and see how easy it is to get them on."

"Mmm, I would, but you look so sexy, I'd hate to put you to shame with my own rugged handsomeness."

Kate grins, swatting his fingers away from her calf. "Funny. Help me up?"

Taking her outstretched hands, he hauls her to her feet once more, snagging her mouth for a devastating kiss before releasing her.

"Kay, I'll hang out in here until you guys leave," he rasps, watching her swallow her desire and straighten her shoulders.

His girlfriend brushes her fingertips over his jaw. "Thank you."

She sneaks one more kiss before slipping away, throwing her hair into a loose, messy ponytail as she ducks beyond her bedroom door.

Rick pads around to his side of the bed, tugging the rumpled covers into neat lines and smoothing out the imprints of their heads on the pillow they'd spent most of the night sharing. He'll finish getting dressed in a few minutes, right now he's content to listen to the quiet melody of Kate's laugh.

He wonders how long it took Kate and her father to get back to this point, to the point of quiet conversations and gentle happiness. How long had it taken to rebuild the trust between them?

After a while, the apartment grows quiet; they must have left without him hearing the door close. Understandable, really, since he is three rooms away and even if Kate slammed it, the door is never that loud. In any case, the silence means it's time for him to change clothes and leave.

Retrieving the rest of his things from the top of Kate's dresser, Rick fills his pockets and slips his feet into his worn leather shoes. Glancing around the room, he finds himself turning down one corner of the duvet; she'll scowl when she sees it, but a little less perfect order works.

Imagine his surprise when he steps out of the bedroom to find Kate and her father staring at him from the kitchen island.

Well, that plan backfired spectacularly.

"I, ah," he stumbles for an explanation, managing only to come up with a weak, "I thought you'd already left."

Kate flushes, licking her lips and glancing at her father before turning back to Rick. "I was going to text you when we were clear."

"Oh." Well why didn't she say that? That would have been good information to have.

The elder Beckett seems to come alive at that, shaking himself out of his stunned silence and turning to his daughter. "You know, Katie, I seem to remember a similar incident of you sneaking a boy in and out of your room when you were in high school."

Kate sputters. "That's not… I mean…" she sighs, covering her face with her palm for a moment. "Dad, this is my boyfriend Rick Castle. Rick, this is my dad, Jim."

Rick sticks his hand out, giving the old man's hand a firm shake. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"Jim, please. And it's nice to meet you, too. I'm sorry we weren't able to get together for Thanksgiving."

He nods, repeating her father's name as if to remind himself. "I am, too. Another time, though."

"That sounds great."

Murmuring his agreement, Rick looks to Kate for guidance. She gives him a quick smile, tugging at the back of his shirt.

"Make you some coffee?" she asks, lifting an eyebrow.

"I… you don't want me to get going?"

Kate shakes her head, offering him her seat when she stands. "Sit, Rick. We're all grown-ups here. Mostly; there is you."

"Hey," he protests, earning a lopsided grin from his girlfriend and a chuckle from her father. Humor test passed.

"So, Rick, you look familiar."

Is this a trick? Albeit he hasn't been in the public eye recently, but at one point he had been fairly well known.

"I, well, I don't want to brag, but I –"

"Dad," Kate admonishes from the other counter. "He's giving you a hard time, Rick. He knows who you are."

Jim rumbles another laugh. "I am giving you a hard time. I'm sorry; I just couldn't help myself. My wife enjoyed your books. Katie still does, if I'm not mistaken," he adds, his voice lifting on a quiet tease.

Kate sighs, rubbing her forehead. "You think you're hilarious, don't you?"

"Honey, I think that because I am hilarious."

Rick watches the two of them banter, remembering how easily the same teasing had once come to him and Alexis. Even as he laughs at the Becketts, his chest aches at his daughter's absence.

"Your mom read my books, too?" he asks when Kate brings his coffee over, touching the curve of her waist with hesitant fingers. She inhales, and he worries he's overstepped, but she's able to offer him a gentle smile upon exhale.

"Yeah, Castle. She read them, too. She picked up the first one after finishing a Patterson novel; she wanted to compare."

She leans her hip against his stool, reaching past him for her own mug.

"They had their own book club, I think," Jim adds.

Kate huffs. "Dad. It was not like that. We read many books, we just also happened to read a couple of Castle's. Only a couple."

"What? It's a compliment, isn't it?" Jim looks innocent.

"I think it's a huge compliment," Rick insists, smoothing his hand over Kate's side. He'd already known the books had helped her, but knowing they were also a connection of some sort to her mom? It's humbling beyond anything else.

She hums, curling her fingers around his and squeezing hard. It lets him know they're on shaky ground, but she's okay for now. "I didn't read most of them until after she died," she murmurs, looking up at him from under her lashes. "And you already know how they helped me then."

Impulse has him leaning in and pressing his mouth to hers. She tastes bittersweet against his lips, in spite of the hazelnut syrup she uses in her coffee when she's not at his place, but she gives him as much as she can, lets him take on her burden for even a moment.

"Best compliment ever," he murmurs when he pulls away, thumbing a slow arc on her side. His girlfriend exhales, her lips lifting.

"Damn right it is." Kate clears her throat, looking back to her dad.

Jim offers them both an apologetic smile.

"So, sweetheart, you started to tell me about work," he starts, leading them to a more neutral topic.

"Right," Kate says, leaning into Rick's side a bit more. "It's good. Really good. Honestly, it's better than it has been in a long time."

Rick hides a smile behind the rim of his mug. She hadn't been happy at work before they met, and now she is; he's helping with more than just their case closure numbers. He won't lie and say pride doesn't flare through his belly because of that.

"Good. And Javier and Kevin are doing okay?"

She hums in confirmation. "Yeah, they're both good."

"Ryan and Jenny – I don't know if you ever met her, I still haven't met her, actually – might be back together," Rick adds. Kate turns a look on him; oh, apparently that is an overshare. Whoops.

"And you can tell who the new precinct gossip is," she teases, giving him a saccharine smile when he sticks his tongue out. "Karpowski loves him."

Jim chuckles, and Rick turns to find him studying the both of them. Whatever he's looking for, he must find because he just smiles and changes the subject once again.

"How is your book research going, Rick? I have to admit, I was surprised when Katie told me about it. It's a bit unorthodox, isn't it?"

Rick lifts a shoulder. "A bit, I suppose. It's going really well, though. We have a good system. Kate still hates the name I picked out for the character I'm basing on her, but I think she'll come around eventually."

Kate huffs. "She still has a stripper name, Castle. I'm not coming around."

"It's not that bad," he drawls.

"Nikki Heat," she clips, lifting an eyebrow. "Dad, what do you think when you hear the name Nikki Heat?"

"Well, it's a… creative name…"

"Hah," Rick crows in triumph. "He likes it, Beckett."

"He didn't say that. That was his polite way of saying it's a stripper name. A stripper cop name. Like something out of a bad episode of Miami Vice."

Jim seems to be content to let them duke it out, because Rick sees him lift his coffee to his lips instead of offering any clarification on the subject.

"Okay, one, there are no bad episodes of Miami Vice. Two, when you read it, you will see that Nikki is a strong, nuanced character no matter what her name is."

Kate glares at her father for laughing before turning her unimpressed face on him. "If it doesn't matter what her name is, then change it."

"Oh, but think of the titles, Kate. Summer Heat, Heat Wave, Unholy Heat…"

"Unholy Heat?" she repeats. "Like Unholy Storm? Reusing your own title is cheating, you know."

Jim barks a laugh at his gawk. "She knows your work, son."

"That she does," he hums, lifting his eyebrows to Kate.

"Quiet, both of you. And finish your coffee, I want to go eat."

"I'm invited?"

Kate rolls her eyes. "Yes, Rick, you're invited. Though keep teasing me and you might be uninvited."

"Nope. Can't do that. I have officially accepted your invitation. There are no take backs."

"There could be take backs," she retorts, downing the rest of her coffee. "But I'll be nice and refrain."

Rick grins. "In that case, thank you for allowing me to join you."

Beside him, Kate softens. "We don't mind having another mouth at the table. Do we, Dad?"

Jim shakes his head, giving his daughter an easy smile. "Not at all."

The loft is quiet when he lets himself in after brunch. It's not late, but he knows his mother is either already at the theater, preparing for tonight's show, or still with her new paramour. He's never sure which unless she tells him, and frankly, he doesn't want to know if she's with some guy she picked up at last week's after-party.

Wherever she is, he's grateful for the silence. Brunch had been fantastic. Kate's father is a funny, intelligent man, and he's convinced that Kate inherited much of her dry humor from Jim. The three of them had entertained each other like old friends, and when he had stopped to watch his companions, they had entertained him.

Nevertheless, as wonderful as the meal had been, it had also made him long to talk to his own daughter and hear her affectionate, at times exasperated, whine of his name. He wants to call, God does he want to, but still he hesitates. Trading a few texts here and there doesn't mean she's ready to talk, and it certainly doesn't mean she is ready to forgive.

Sucking up his pride and pushing away his fears, he dials anyway. The worst that can happen is she ignores it and the call goes to voicemail. It wouldn't be the first time, and a part of him is sure it won't be the last.

The phone rings in his ear once, twice, making his agitation tick upward with each trill. His knee bounces so hard it nearly bashes the bottom of his desk drawer.

"Hello?"

Call him a coward, but he freezes. It's been so long since they've talked; the last time she was in the city, she had barely said two words to him at a time, keeping things short and perfunctory. Hearing her voice now…

"Hello?" his daughter repeats, the slur of sleep fading from her greeting as annoyance take its place.

"Ah, sorry. Sorry. Hey. Hey, pumpkin, it's me. Dad. Your dad."

"Dad?" she echoes, her voice flat. "Do you know what time it is out here?"

"Almost noon?" he offers, checking his watch to confirm. He's not used to her sleeping late; before she moved, she rarely stayed in bed past nine even on weekends.

"Oh." He hears her covers rustle before she exhales. "So it is."

"Late night?"

He doesn't mean anything by it, but she bristles anyway. "You would know, wouldn't you?"

Ouch.

He must say it aloud, because she sighs. "That was out of line, I'm sorry."

Given the number of times he hadn't been able to hide his late nights from her, he probably deserves it.

"You're okay. So um, how are you? How's work?"

Alexis is quiet just long enough that he has to check the phone to see if the call has dropped. It hasn't; she's just gathering her thoughts.

"It's okay. We're starting a new initiative after the first of the year. It should be good, hopefully."

"What is it?" he asks, leaning back in his chair for the first time since dialing his daughter's phone number. His back screams in relief as the tension he had been carrying is released little by little.

"Rooftop bamboo forests. It's to help clean the air. A friend of mine is the one who came up with it, and I was able to get my organization to provide the funding and the infrastructure. I know it probably sounds silly, but –"

"No," he interrupts, fierce in his need to reassure her. "No, it sounds really cool. Interesting. Tell me more about it?"

There's another pause before Alexis inhales. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with the Richard Castle I've known for the last five years?"

It would be an amusing question, if not for the fact that she's right; he had been a different person for so long. He doesn't blame her for her skepticism, either. Without being here to see firsthand how things have changed, he would be skeptical, too. She has every right to wonder about him.

"The pod person has finally left," he answers, pushing the stab of sadness away.

"Yeah? Where'd he go?"

"Hopefully back to space. For good."

Alexis hums, but says nothing more. Instead of pushing her before she's ready, he waits it out, ready for whatever she might offer to him next.

"You threw out the book a few months ago," she says finally. He hears the sound of a cabinet and ice falling into a glass, and imagines her padding into the lavish kitchen Meredith insisted she needed when Alexis moved in with her.

"Yeah, I did. I should have done it sooner. I'm also writing again. Really writing; none of that other stuff.

Her glass hits the counter, hard. He really is shocking her today, isn't he?

"Really? Like a new Derrick Storm? Are you bringing him back from the dead?"

"Better. A brand new character, Nikki Heat. She's based off of someone really great."

It's the wrong thing to say. As quickly as her excitement had built, it fizzles away in an instant.

"Someone huh? It's always someone, Dad."

Rubbing his forehead, he takes a slow breath. "It's not like that, Alexis. Yes, we are seeing each other, but it's different. Kate's different."

"How?" Alexis challenges. "How is she different from the Amandas, or the Tatianas, or any of the others?"

Yes, he does deserve that. He still remembers seeing the shutters drop over his daughter's face when she'd come to pick him up from jail after he and a woman whose name he never even got had become a little too acquainted in public. That incident had been the last straw in his already strained relationship with her. Less than four months later, she had graduated high school and announced her intention to move to LA.

"Well, she's a cop for one. And she hated me at first. Hated me. We met at a charity thing and I asked her out –"

"Uh huh."

"And I made a fool of myself," he finishes, hoping to banish the note of frustration from her voice. "An absolute fool. And then I did it again a second time."

"Oh, Dad."

"Uh huh. But she let me make it up to her, and we've been together ever since. I didn't even start thinking about the book until July or August."

"When did you meet?"

"May."

"Wow. You've… really? That long?"

"Really. It's, I think it's going really well. I met her dad today. Actually seeing them together was what made me call you. Instead of just texting to say hi."

"Why?"

It is a fair question. Why today? Why only reach out after meeting his girlfriend's father, instead of swallowing his pride sooner, and doing so for his own daughter's sake?

"Because I miss you, honey. I always miss you, yeah, but today it made me miss you more. Kate and her dad… they went through some bad stuff, but they're stronger for it now. And I don't know if that will be us – maybe I've messed up too badly to fix it – but I want to try if you'll let me. I'm just… I'm so sorry for everything, sweetheart."

"Dad," she croaks, and he can picture her swiping at her eyes, her face splotching pink. She might not have red hair anymore, but she will always have a redhead's complexion. "I'm sorry, too. And I miss you. The real you. I saw this ridiculous thing the other day, and it made me think of you. I almost sent you a picture, but…"

"Send the picture next time. Please."

His daughter exhales. "Yeah. Okay, yeah, I will. I will. So you're, you're doing okay?"

"I'm doing even better than that now," he promises, not wanting her to worry about him any longer. She has worried about him enough in the last few years. "Are you?"

"Yeah, I am. Even better than that now," she echoes, clearing her throat. "You're really writing again?"

"I am. I can send you the first few chapters if you'd like?" She hasn't read one of his chapters since before he wrote Finite Laughter.

"I would, of course I would. Does Gina know? Are you even still working with Gina?"

He hums. "Done. I'll email it soon. And yes, Gina knows. We're going to release it next year, September, so there's plenty of time for rewrites and marketing."

Plus, it's time to cover their butts if he ends up with writer's block and bails, but that is a contingency they won't need.

"That's a good plan," she agrees, humming in contentment, and he just knows she's settling into a chair to mull everything over. "And your girlfriend's name is Kate? And she's a cop."

"Uh huh. A captain, NYPD. I've been going to work with her, too, and it is so cool."

His chest expands with his daughter's laugh. He's able to make her laugh again, and not in a snide, derisive way. An honest to God expression of her joy.

"Hopefully she hasn't let you have a gun."

"No, no gun, though I've tried. No handcuffs either."

At least not on the job. But he won't share that detail. The days of oversharing with Alexis have ended.

"Mmm, that's probably for the best," she teases.

Rick chuckles, too. It's starting to feel like old times already. "Yeah, that's probably true. Gram likes her, too, you know."

And God knows his mother has been critical of most of his life choices over the last few years. So if his mother is impressed with Kate, it says a lot.

"That's really good, Dad. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," he exhales.

They settle into silence, both searching for the next conversation thread to tackle. Eventually his daughter hisses, cursing under her breath.

"Dad, I have to go. I'm late for work."

Disappointment settles in his belly, but he tamps it down. This is more than he could have hoped for two hours ago; this is good.

"Kay, go on. Go save the world."

"Yeah," she breathes. "I'm glad you called, though."

A smile lifts his lips. "Me too. Do you think we could talk again soon?"

"I'd like that."

Giddiness licks at the edge of his brain. "I would, too. Talk to you soon, pumpkin."

"Talk to you soon, Dad."

The call ends a split second later, leaving him beaming in his empty office.

They're going to talk again soon.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you!