Horse of a Different Color Chapter 2, a castle fanfic

When she arrived back upstairs from holding her captain had been waiting for her to arrive. When he stepped into her personal space stopping her forward movement he asked her only one question.

"So Beckett, how does it feel to meet the author that you've been pining after for a while now?"

"He's nothing that I had expected sir." She said and left it at that. She moved around him to go to the locker room and change out of her blues. Did he really think that she'd tell him everything?

Roy just watched as she walks away knowing that calling her back to the 12th was the right thing for him to do. He in turn heads to the exit of the precinct to get to the subway stop just a block away. He hopes he can catch the express home.

"Rick I need your help with this campaign. It's that simple and it's for a good cause and if you want me to provide you with a get out of jail free card, you'll do this with me." Bob told him over the phone.

"Seriously? Bob, can't you find another person who has some more free time other than me?" Rick whines.

"I would you see but there is one issue at play here."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"You called me and you need my help. That's the takeaway here. I get you out with the charges dropped and nothing on your record and in turn, you'll do this for me. It's only two weekends and I'll even break them up so you can skip one instead of doing two weekends in a row. So is that a yes?" Bob asks.

After weighing his options he says,

"Yes," Rick whispers it so low Bob can barely hear him.

"I'm sorry Rick, what was that?"

"I said yes. Are you happy now?"

"Ecstatic. So I'll send over the schedule via messenger of which libraries you'll be at. It'll be at the loft by the time you get sprung."

"Gee thanks so much, Bob! I'll be there with bells on," Rick says sarcastically.

"Great! Oh, and Rick make sure that you bring your "A" game this weekend. You wouldn't want to disappoint those kids now would you?"

Before Rick could answer with a snappy comeback the line had already gone dead. He handed the phone receiver back to the cop who was standing there waiting for it.

The mayor had talked him into giving the kids in the city who were a little shy or just didn't care about reading at all a chance to see how reading can be fun. He had started one of the city's first literacy programs named aptly the Children's Reading Initiative. They set up weekend readings at the main libraries in Manhattan, the Allerton library in the Bronx, the Queens and Brooklyn public libraries, and on Staten Island the Dongan Hills library. They would draw about six thousand children over the course of the two-day weekend at each library.

As he looks out from his cell he realizes that he has to call a very important woman. Between his ink smudged fingers, he holds the only item that he considers precious right now. In other words, the possibility for something more if he were to label it. Her phone number. She has a smile that could make anyone she shares it with feel at ease. Now he wonders if he is out of his league by asking her out for dinner. And that in itself brings up another concern. Where to take her where he won't come off looking like a pompous ass. There are many places that he has been at with a bimbo on each arm but he needs a place that the Ledger has not caught him at with their prying cameras. Somewhere where he has never been before. It's then when he has the perfect eatery in mind. He has never been here and the menu is very accommodating for just about anyone who goes there. This place caters to the everyday patron with the utmost care as well as all of the swanky eateries that charge 250 dollars a plate do. His mind is made up. He'll take her to Casa Apicii in the village.

The cop who was nice enough to give him his phone call was considerate enough to get him a pair of scrubs to wear home. His clothes are still MIA. When he gets ahold of Michael he will be killing him. Right now he has no idea where his wallet is so he'll need to cancel all of his credit cards and maybe get a new driver's license.

When he is processed out of holding he was informed by the arresting officer that his friend the mayor was true to his word and has absolved him of any charges that might have arisen from this little stunt in the park this morning. He has no personal effects to pick up so the officer directs him to the men's room where he can change into the scrubs he was given.

Kate's shift ended hours ago but she can't stop thinking about Rick's invite. Was she crazy for thinking that they would actually be able to have an uninterrupted dinner date? He was a best selling author for God's sake. Maybe she should just forget about it and write it off as a lesson learned. She knows that this would lead to heartache and this was one way to stop it before she got hurt too badly. She hangs up her jacket then she plays her new messages on her answering machine.

"Katie, it's dad. I haven't talked to you in a while and I was wondering if you were going to be able to meet for brunch on Saturday. Just call back and leave an answer for me. I love you Katie bug."

"Ms. Beckett this is ConEd. This is a courtesy call to inform you that there will be a rolling shut down of electrical power in your neighborhood this afternoon to replace transformers. The interruption should last about two hours. If you have any questions please call our customer service department Thank you."

The machine clicks off and Kate erases both messages. She now notices that her alarm clock in the bedroom is flashing with the incorrect time and her cable box is telling her to reboot it. She goes around and resets everything that was affected by the power loss and when that is done she finds herself sitting in the tub soaking, reading her latest Richard Castle book, sipping on a great glass of merlot. Just as she starts to dry off her body her cell phone rings. Knowing that if she runs to answer it she will probably slip and fall going to answer it. So she finishes drying herself off and lets her voice mail answer the call.

Rick had finally summoned up the courage to call Officer Beckett. His palms were sweating as he heard the phone ringing and the more it rang the less confidant he felt. By the time it went to voicemail he was totally unprepared to leave a message and probably sounded like a bumbling idiot when he did start talking.

"Um… hi officer Beckett, I mean Kate it's Rick Castle. I was just calling you to see if you were interested in still going to dinner with me on Saturday night? That is if you are able to get the time off I mean. I know that you are a cop and you might be working but if you're not I'd like to take you out on a date. So when you get the chance please return my call and we'll talk. Thanks and goodbye."

Rick ended the call and thought that this was one of the worst calls he has ever made. It was not pretty and he even wondered if she would call him back. He puts his phone back on the charger and heads to the kitchen to get something to eat because he is starving. He finds some leftover pasta and shrimp in alfredo sauce so he heats that up to eat.

Kate is sitting on the love seat winding down after her soak and remembers that she had a call on her cell phone. She retrieves her phone and swipes the screen to wake the phone. After she enters her security code she sees that she does have a new message waiting to be heard. She clicks on it and listens...

As she listens to his message she can tell that he is unsure of himself when he leaves the invite for dinner. She's surprised at first thinking that he is a man about town and his confidence should be a lot higher than what she is hearing. His message also eases her mind a little about the possibility of this being something real between them. But she will take it slow. She knows that he is likely waiting to pounce on his phone to answer it the second she calls so she'll wait a while before calling him back. This way there will be time for her to actually think about a way to have a decent conversation with him.

Rick has cleaned up after his dinner and is in his office trying to write. He's getting nowhere due to the fact that he can't stop thinking about how much of a mess he sounded like when he left Kate his message. Maybe she is having second thoughts? He has never felt an attraction so strongly to any woman before and that is what scares him the most. This has the potential to be something he can see going the distance. Just as he lays his fingers on the keys of his laptop to start writing, he is startled by the vibrating of his phone. He watches as it dances on the desk and picks it up before it falls over the edge.

"Hello." He answers a little unsure because he doesn't recognize the number calling him.

"Hi, Rick. It's Kate."

"Oh. Hi Kate! I'm so glad that you returned my call."

"I am too. I wanted to talk to you about our dinner date."

"Okay. So are you free on Saturday night?"

"The thing is Rick… I'm not too sure that this is such a great idea. I am a beat cop and you are a famous best selling author. I am not that sure that we'll have that much in common."

"Kate let me stop you right there. You like to eat right?"

"Yes."

"You have time off to eat out, right?"

"I do."

"Well, then we have at least one thing in common. We could both go for a good meal out at a very out of the way place, right? Take a chance and say yes!"

"Rick… are you sure about this?"

"I am. What time should I pick you up tomorrow night?"

Kate's first thought went to what she had to wear in her closet. She does have a killer dress that would make his eyes pop out of his head. So she tells him,

"How does six-thirty sound?"

"To me, that sounds great. Just text me your address and I will be there by six-thirty."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow night Rick."

"Okay, Kate. See you then."

The call is ended mutually and all Kate can do is exhale heavily knowing that she has a date with her favorite author. She sends a text to his phone giving him her address. But before she can relax she needs to buy a pair of new heels to go along with her dress. And maybe a new clutch as well.

She is able to buy new heels and a clutch that matches her dress pretty closely at Nordstrom's. Back at her apartment she pulls the dress out of her closet and looks it over to see if it will look good on her. She stands in front of her full-length mirror and drapes the dress in front of her to check if it still fits well in all the right places. It does and it will knock his socks off. She hangs her dress back in her closet and puts the clutch and shoes on her shelf. By the time her head hits the pillow, she is asleep before she knows it.

Rick had already made the reservations at the restaurant for their date. He had the car coming by to pick him up at six sharp in order to make it to Kate's by six-thirty. He decided on the car service because if he and Kate had anything to drink he was not going to be caught driving drunk. He needed to be responsible and she was a cop after all. He gets into bed knowing that most everything is taken care of. What he will wear he will choose in the morning. He falls asleep thinking about how their date will go.

Kate wakes the next day actually looking forward to going out with Rick on their date. She has a couple of things to do today before their date so she wants to get them out of the way before it's too late. She runs down to the market to pick up some produce and meat for the week. She calls her father to tell him that today will be fine to get together for brunch. They have been going to this diner that he likes since he was married to her mother. She has everything set for tonight all she needs to do is get dressed and wait for him to pick her up. He never told her where they were going but she is sure that the way she dresses will be just fine.

Rick nervously taps his fingers on the kitchen island waiting for the call to tell him that the car is downstairs to pick him up to go to Kate's. He wants everything to go right tonight and he needs to make a good impression because believe it or not he likes her a lot. This is not some passing infatuation he could really see a future with her. At first, he decided to dress in an Armani suit and slacks but he decided against it and went with Hugo Boss. The cut of the suit was better in his eyes and he looked like he didn't spend that much on trying to impress her with his money. Hugo Boss was an expensive suit but it wasn't that expensive and he hopes that she'll see he doesn't want to intimidate her.

His phone buzzes with a text telling him that the car is right downstairs waiting for him. He gives himself the once-over in the mirror before he grabs his jacket to make sure he is presentable. He picks up his keys and his cell phone and puts them into his jacket pocket. He locks the door behind him as he leaves the loft and heads to the car that waits downstairs for him. When he arrives at the car he gives the driver the address for Kate's apartment building. The driver tells him that it'll be a twenty-minute ride depending on traffic. He nods once and they're off. Eighteen minutes later Rick is pulling up in front of Kate's building. The driver finds a spot not far from her front door and he tells the driver to wait while he gets Kate. He takes the elevator to the third floor and approaches her door. Once he is standing there he just waits. He checks his watch for the time and he has a couple of minutes to wait before he can knock. As he waits he shifts from foot to foot nervously hoping that he won't make a fool of himself.

Just as he goes to raise his hand to knock on her door, the door swings open and his eyes practically fall out of their sockets at the sight of her in the dress she has on.

"Hi, Rick. I wondered how long you were going to stand out there waiting."

"Ah… um… I mean…"

"Rick, just take a deep breath. I promise you that once you do you'll be able to speak again."

Rick does what she asks and she was right, his mind is clear and he can talk to her without stumbling now.

"Hi, Kate. I am sorry. I usually don't go all ga-ga and forget how to talk."

"It's okay Rick. So are you ready to go?" Kate asks.

Rick completely forgets about the flowers that are tucked behind his back in his left hand. He bought her some lilies and he's not sure if the color was what she liked. He pulls them out from behind his back and presented them to her.

"Oh, Rick! They're beautiful and they're my favorite color of purple too."

Rick breathes a sigh of relief as Kate retreats back into her apartment to put the flowers in water. Not knowing what to do Rick just stands there in her doorway and waits for her to return.

She is back and Rick extends his arm and she slides her arm into the crook of his. He guides her to the elevator and they are back in the car and off to the restaurant.

A/N: Okay so due to popular demand this is no longer a one-shot. It will most likely be three chapters or possibly four. Not sure which one yet. I hope that everyone likes the way this is going to go moving forward.

P2P