A/N: This one takes place after 'The Final Nail' (Ep. 3x15). Jim's got another story to tell….

Kate was visiting, always a happy occasion for Jim. He was especially glad to see her looking so well after the turmoil of the Raglan case several weeks earlier. He didn't know all the details (and didn't really want to, because the details would undoubtedly keep him up at night), but he knew that she and her team had faced a great deal of danger in the course of that investigation. As they relaxed together on Jim's couch, Kate talked about another case, one that she and her team had solved more recently.

Jim had already read about the case in the papers. The Victoria Westlake murder made waves when it led to the reopening of a cold case involving Damien Westlake, Victoria's widower and an old friend of Rick Castle's. Kate told Jim how much it had disappointed Castle to discover that Westlake had cold-bloodedly orchestrated the murder of his own father.

"I don't think I've ever seen Castle so vulnerable," Kate admitted. "It really shook him up."

"You sound surprised," Jim observed.

"I am," Kate said. "I've seen Castle in some tough situations, but he always seems to bounce back. He's that guy you just can't keep down. But this time…." Her voice trailed off.

She paused and sighed. "You know, Dad, I usually love saying 'I told you so' to Castle – but on this case I actually found myself hoping and wishing he was right. He was crushed to find out that his faith in Damien Westlake was so misplaced."

"You went through something similar yourself not too long ago," Jim noted, recalling Mike Royce's betrayal.

"You're right," Kate said, "but I guess I just never thought of Castle as having insecurities. He has so much confidence – sometimes a little too much confidence, actually. He's one of the most self-assured people I know."

"Is he?" Jim wondered aloud.

She tilted her head and gave Jim a sardonic look that spoke volumes of her secret fondness for the writer. "Trust me, he's pretty cocky, Dad," she said drily.

"Maybe," Jim said, "but then again, maybe all that external cockiness is just Castle's way of protecting himself. We all have our defense mechanisms, Katie, and we all have our insecurities. Sometimes the most outwardly confident people are actually the most vulnerable."

Kate nodded slowly, thoughtfully.

"It's one of those eternal contradictions," Jim continued. "Like your mom – always so poised and strong, but with the softest, most compassionate heart. You're exactly like her in that way."

"Thanks, Dad."

"No need to thank me, Katie - it's the truth." He smiled as he recalled one of his many treasured memories of Johanna.

Kate shot him a curious look. "What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, just something that happened back when your mom and I worked together – before we starting dating."

"Dad," Kate pleaded with a grimace, "I'm not sure I'm up to another 'Creepy Jessie' story. I'm still not completely over the last one."

Jim laughed. "No, no, this is different. Your mom and I handled a case once, an important appeal to the State Supreme Court. We were on the right side of the law, but our opponents were so powerful that the general consensus was that we'd lose. Even our lead partner thought so."

He shook his head as he remembered how challenging the case had been. "The opposing side had the biggest firm in Manhattan representing them. And there we were – young attorneys from a small firm, with nothing but faith in the judicial system."

"Sounds romantic," Kate teased, smiling. "You and Mom going up against the man, with nothing but the truth on your side."

"It wasn't that romantic," Jim said. "At least, not while we were sitting in the firm's library at all hours, rehearsing our arguments over and over again, combing through the evidence for the millionth time, chugging bad black coffee just to keep our eyes open."

A smile spread over Jim's face. "But it was a great experience – for me, anyway. Your mom was whip-smart and so sophisticated, but also so compassionate and gentle with the client. I loved working with her. I loved her, period – I just didn't realize it yet."

He paused, sighing at the memory. "But anyway, the goddess of justice was on our side, and we won the appeal."

"Yay," Kate cheered softly. Jim smiled, enjoying her reaction.

"But that's not the whole story," he continued. "The verdict was announced. We congratulated our client, walked out of the courthouse, met the press on the steps. The usual routine. We were just about to leave when your mom realized she'd lost her fountain pen. It was her favorite one –"

"The one Granddad gave her when she passed the New York Bar," Kate recalled.

Jim nodded in confirmation. "So we went back in to look for it. The courtroom was completely empty by then. We found the pen, and we just stood there for a moment, basking in our victory. It was exhilarating, and in that moment I was just captivated."

He paused. "I was dazzled by that smile – the one you inherited." Kate smiled, proving his point.

"So there we are," Jim continued, "and she says to me, 'So, Jim, I guess we did it. We won.' And we're standing so close together, and she's just… gorgeous, and I'm staring at her like an absolute fool. And then she sticks out her hand – I guess for a handshake – and I take it. I look into her eyes, and then… then it just happens."

"What happened?"

"I kissed her."

Kate gasped. "On the mouth?"

Jim nodded. "I just grabbed her and kissed her. It was insane, and I knew it, but for those seconds it felt like the best, most natural thing I'd ever done. It was definitely the best kiss I'd ever had."

Kate's reaction to this was surprising. She blushed so deeply that Jim was sure that even the tips of her ears were pink. She ducked her head, pushed a lock of hair behind one ear, and shifted slightly on the couch. Jim was taken aback.

He was still pondering her strange overreaction when she asked, "And then what happened?" Her eyes were still lowered as she fiddled uneasily with the fabric on the corner of the couch.

"Well," Jim said, "I was too caught up in the moment to do anything at first. But then I came to my senses and realized how inappropriate it was that I'd just kissed her in a courtroom."

"An empty courtroom," Kate pointed out, her eyes still averted, her fingers still engaged in their nervous plucking. "No one saw you – at least, no one that could have made a big deal out of it."

"Still – it was completely inappropriate, and I was convinced that I'd offended her. I pulled away and apologized. I was mortified."

"And Mom?" Kate asked. Her face was still warm with color. "How did she react?"

"She was very understanding – she said it was fine, that it was obviously just the euphoria of winning the case, the adrenaline rush. At the time, I thought she was embarrassed on my behalf. I guess we both figured it would be easier to just forget that it happened."

Kate finally looked up slightly, giving Jim a sidelong look. "And did you? Forget that it happened?"

Jim laughed. "No, that was impossible. It was much harder to pretend that we were just friends and colleagues after that. Things were… awkward for a while."

"The kiss didn't… change things? You didn't even talk about it?"

Jim shook his head. "Well, not after the initial rushed, uncomfortable discussion, no. I guess we were both scared – we didn't want to risk losing our friendship, and we were professional colleagues so we didn't want to jeopardize that either."

He shrugged. "We were both stubborn. And probably a little cowardly. But I guess what's most important is that we got there in the end. I just wish we could've had more time together."

"I know," Kate said softly. "Me too." She paused. "So, did you ever talk about that kiss with Mom?"

"Of course, when we were finally together. Actually, your mom brought it up. She was kind of annoyed about it."

"Really?" Kate was surprised.

"Yes," Jim confirmed. "She wanted to know exactly why I stopped kissing her. And then she demanded a thousand more kisses in compensation."

Kate threw back her head as she laughed. "That sounds just like Mom."

Jim nodded. "I told her that I had no idea that she'd wanted me to continue. And then she said, in that sassy, mischievous way of hers, 'Beckett, if I didn't want you to continue, I would have pushed you away and given you a slap that would've echoed all around that courtroom. Or kneed you in the balls'. Then she shook her head, rolled those beautiful, brown eyes and said, 'Jim, for a man so smart, you can be remarkably slow. Didn't you notice that I didn't pull away?'"

Jim laughed as he remembered Johanna's words. Kate laughed with him, but Jim noticed that her cheeks were still pink and she still wasn't looking directly at him. When she put down her coffee mug, her hair fell to shield part of her face, and Jim saw a soft, wistful smile on her lips, a smile she quickly tried to smother by biting her lip.

Jim was puzzled. It was just a story about a kiss, but Kate was acting as if it was much more. There had to be another story there, and finally it clicked. Jim realized that at some point, she must have had a moment of her own – one just like the moment he'd shared with Johanna all those years ago. She knew the feeling – that heady passion and excitement.

Although the thought of his daughter engaged in a steamy kiss was extremely uncomfortable and in no way appealing, Jim couldn't help but wonder when it had happened. With a friend at college? Maybe even a professor? Jim shuddered – he hoped not. Maybe someone at work.

Castle?

Jim reined in his thoughts, telling himself that he really didn't want or need to know. She was a grown woman, capable of handling her personal decisions. She'd figure it out in her own time. He just hoped she would make the right choice in the end.

A/N: As always, thank you for reading and reviewing. It honestly means so much to me.