Six

"Thank you again for dinner; it was excellent per usual," Kate said as she carried her used plate and wine glass to the counter where the writer was cleaning up and putting away leftovers. Kate found Castle's culinary skills to be one of the most surprising things about him. Not only was he an Elite single-father who was also a minor celebrity, which would have been enough to put him into a unicorn-like category, but he was actually incredibly experienced in the kitchen. Evidently this was because his mother was terrible as a cook so it meant he either needed to learn or starve (or so he explained), but she had yet to eat something he made that was not delicious.

"You are very welcome." He smiled and took her plate and glass, putting the plate into the dishwasher and the goblet into the sink to be hand washed. "I didn't have time to make dessert, but I figured we could take care of that ourselves."

"Castle." She groaned as her entire body flushed. Of course he had to make a comment like that—even after they had done so well during dinner!

When Kate arrived at the writer's apartment that evening he'd immediately launched into a speech that explained their meal that evening was all about convincing her they would be a great couple. As he poured their wine, she politely requested that they keep the evening light and pressure free as she was still thinking about whether or not she wanted to embark on an official relationship with him. She asked that they not talk about the previous night or the difficulties they would face as a mixed-origin couple. Castle agreed and to that point in the evening their topics of discussion had stayed within her boundary restrictions.

"C'mon!" He half pleaded, reaching out skirt his fingertips down her arm. "You know you want to do that again."

As his eyebrows wiggled suggestively at her, Kate felt her cheeks flush and she averted her eyes while thinking back to the night before. Despite her uncertainties when she arrived, the night had been amazing—beyond, in fact. It was, without question, the best night of her life. Not only was Castle a kind and attentive lover, but the entire experience had felt so freeing. Earlier that morning the writer had described it as being in the right place at the right time and she felt his statement aligned well with her sentiments. She didn't feel awkward or nervous curling up beside him afterwards and was excited when he woke her for round two.

Only when Kate woke again around four a.m. did reality set in. The night had been so wonderful—so much better than she expected it to be—that the potential for a broken heart was higher than ever. She knew from the moment she arrived at his place that they couldn't have a future together and cursed herself for being foolish enough to think that she could have one night with him without wanting more. Pushing herself from bed and collecting her clothing was one of the most difficult things she'd ever done, because she knew she would have to end their partnership, for being beside him but not being with him would be far too painful.

Silent tears fell down Kate's cheeks during her journey home and, when she arrived, she got immediately in the shower and sobbed out all of her sorrows, cursing the world for what it was and herself for not cutting off their relationship before she fell harder than she'd fallen before. As she toweled off her body she made the decision: she had to pull the plug and walk—well, run—away before the hurt could sink deeper into her core. She would end things with him, let their partnership naturally fade away, and move on.

But then he'd showed up at the Twelfth with her favorite coffee looking as infuriatingly handsome as ever. He'd dashed her hopes that he hadn't thought of their night together as more than just a tryst by saying wonderful things and nearly confessing that he was in love with her—and would have, had she not stopped him. Kate couldn't even put into words how much she longed for a wonderful man to love her so she could love him in return. Richard Castle could so very easily be that man, but the outside opposition they faced would be significant.

"I…I don't know."

"Yes you do; I know you do." He moved closer so that he could cup her jaw and force her to look at him. "Wasn't this evening proof we would be a great couple?"

She offered a sad smile. "We would, Castle—I never doubted that. It's…everyone else."

He grunted in frustration, stepped back and flung his arms out to the side. "Screw everyone else! Elites and normal get married all the time!"

She pressed her lips tightly together and tried to think of one example of a mixed couple she knew personally; she couldn't think of one. "I don't think so."

"Sure they do."

"Not in Manhattan."

"Then we'll move to middle-America and become boring famers."

She let out a loud laugh at his absurd statement. "You're insane."

He grinned and stepped up to her slowly. "I know, but you love it." Without waiting for her response, he cupped her face again and lowered his lips to hers. Kate found herself instinctually rising up on her toes to meet his mouth and close her hands around his forearms.

He kissed her again and again and, god, she couldn't think or process anything when his body was pressed that close to hers. She just wanted him all over her again and again and again… With Castle's lips on hers she became distracted wondering what would happen if she was on top this time, or if she used her police cuffs creatively. She was, in fact, so distracted that she did not hear the front door open or footsteps approaching the kitchen. It wasn't until she heard a yelp of, "Wha—Dad!" that she realized they weren't alone.

Kate jumped away from her companion and felt her cheeks burst with the fires of embarrassment. Standing a few feet away beside the dining room table stood Castle's beautiful seventeen year old second-tier Elite daughter Alexis. Her copper colored hair sparkled even in the dimmest light, her skin was a perfectly pale porcelain and her eyes so blue they practically glowed. She was truly a sight to behold and always reminded Kate of just how different Normals and Elites could be.

"Oh sorry Pumpkin." The writer chuckled casually as he brushed the back of his hand over his lips. "Didn't hear you come in. We'll get out of the kitchen now; there are some leftovers if you want them."

Alexis folded her arms over her chest. "I ate at Paige's. What's…going on? I thought you guys were just coworkers."

"Oh." He gave a sheepish shrug before putting his arm around Kate's shoulders. "We were; now we're more."

"Castle," Kate said warningly. They had not yet officially decided; she had not yet officially decided. Then again, if he kept kissing her the way he had been, she'd be powerless to resist him.

"Well, we are." He rubbed her shoulder and then turned towards his daughter, confident.

Alexis, on the other hand, looked appalled. "Dad. You cannot be with a Defect."

The derogatory term made Kate feel as though she'd suddenly been doused in cold water. As she worked in a professional environment surrounded by Normals like herself, Kate had not been called a "Defect" for many years. In fact, she could not recall the last time someone had used such an insult when directed at her, though she had heard others around her using the terminology. Still, it was not one she expected to hear in the Castle loft, which had always been a safe and welcoming environment.

Fortunately, Castle appeared equally offended, and he stepped forward, dropping his arm from Kate's shoulders. "Hey! We do not use terms like that in this house, young lady!"

Alexis held her nose high in the air and said, "It's what she is."

"Alexis Castle you need to apologize right now!"

As the writer bellowed at his child—one of the very few times she'd ever heard him raise his voice—Kate wished she could disappear. This was it, her exact fear come to life, except it wasn't a random Elite on the street insulting them or Castle's bosses at Black Pawn, but the girl who could ultimately—god help her—become her stepdaughter. If not even Alexis could accept them as a couple, they didn't have a chance with the rest of the world.

"Alexis! Now!"

Not showing any remorse, the girl turned her sparkling blue eyes to Kate. "You've been nothing but nice to me, Kate, but I'm sorry it's what you are; you're not like us."

The girl was right; they were different and in that moment Kate couldn't have been happier for it. Alexis was demonstrating the exact reason why Castle was the first Elite that Kate had befriended. For the most part, Elites believed themselves to be superior because of their shiny, perfect features and flawless DNA, but when it came down to it their personalities could use a great deal of work.

"We're all the same, Alexis," her father reminded her, but the girl remained steadfast in her opinion.

"No, we're not and you know that. Do you know what this will do to me? I…I don't even know if I can stay at my school next year if I have a De—Normal as a step-mother."

"Alexis!" He groaned. "We're dating, not…not-"

"Are you? How long has this even been going on?" She threw back at him. "What if you do get married? I probably won't even be able to get into a university for Elites. They do background checks!"

Castle approached his daughter, whose chest had begun to heave in all her fury. "You're blowing this out of proportion; plenty of kids your age are still first tier Elites."

"But everyone will still know. God, did you even think about how bad this would be for me? Maybe I can go stay with Mom!"

"Alexis—Alexis!" The writer called out for his daughter, but she was already stalking her way up the stairs to her room and clearly had no interest in sticking around to have a rational conversation.

During the end of their shouting match, Kate had begun to creep her way towards the apartment exit in hopes that she could escape before the tears started to fall. Before the young red-head arrived, she had nearly been convinced they could make a go of their relationship, hard as it would be, but now she knew more than ever they'd be doomed, so what was the point?

"Kate, I'm so—what are you doing?"

She turned to see Castle as sad as she'd ever seen him, his shoulders rounded and his brow creased. As much as she wanted to hug him, she knew she had to keep her distance. "I should go."

"No please don't. I am so sorry. I raised her better than that."

As he was someone who showed absolutely no prejudice towards Normals, she believed that he had not been the one to teach Alexis her opinions, but that didn't make the girl any less passionate. "She's a product of her environment, Rick. Those private schools breed antagonism against Normals, feeding the Elite mentality. It's…actually a little bit scary for people like me."

For many years there had been a push to have the majority of babies born Elite instead of Normal and as the Elites grew up and chose to have Elite children of their own, that became more and more of a reality. That year alone there had been several speakers in the city encouraging Elite-only reproduction and asking that laws be passed so that Normals did not reproduce naturally. Of course such speech was all under the guise of eradicating diseases and eliminating birth defects, but for Normals like herself, the rhetoric was truly terrifying.

"None of that stuff will get off the ground, but I'm sure the Normal antidiscrimination laws will."

She shrugged, as that topic was not entirely relevant to their present situation. "Laws wouldn't stop Elites from hating me, Castle. Besides, I don't want to come between you and your daughter."

He shook his head and approached her. "You're not—she's just upset and surprised. She'll come around and-"

"No, Castle," Kate cut him off before he could say anything else that might have her changing her mind about leaving that evening. "Don't you see how shunned we'd be? You'd lose your career and all your celebrity."

"I don't care about that—I don't!" He insisted when her expression remained skeptical. "Screw everyone else in this whole damn world—I just want to be with you."

Kate breathed in a shuttered breath. Well, she definitely had to give him points for persistence and staying true to his feelings. Of course she didn't question how he felt about her then, in that moment, but if things became difficult? When they faced the opposition they knew was coming their way? No, he just was blinded by his feelings of her and not thinking clearly, which was why she decided to use the factor she thought of as her secret weapon—the solid, concrete reason why they couldn't have a future together.

"Things would be really hard for us Castle and it's not that I can't take tough times, I can-"

"Of course you can—we both can!"

"But it's…I wasn't going to bring this up but I need to, because it will always be there, hovering over us…"

His brow wrinkled. "What are you talking about?"

She sucked in a deep breath and set her shoulders as she looked at him. "I'm not sure if I'm ready to give up on a family yet."

He shook his head. "I don't understand. What does that mean?"

Her feelings weren't fair to him because, that evening aside, Kate had never known Alexis to be anything other than polite and sweet. The writer clearly adored his child and enjoyed being a parent; he'd told her as much on several occasions. He deserved the chance to be a father again if he wanted—and she imagined that he did—but that was a point on which she knew they would never agree.

"I've never been sure about wanting kids, I've always gone back and forth, since I was so focused on my career and never really in a relationship serious enough to think about it, but I always wanted to keep the option open. However, in my mind there's only one way I would become a mother. I don't want to have an Elite child—I think it's creepy the way you place an order for them and—I'm sorry." She added quickly when his brow began to wrinkle in offense. "I don't mean to disrespect you or Alexis. It's a choice that many make, but it's just not for me. If I have a child, I want it to happen naturally, and being with you would mean that couldn't happen."

The fact that Elite males could not have natural children was common knowledge. That little genetic adjustment the scientists made was often jokingly called the most convenient birth control of all, but jaded Normals like herself knew what it really was: protection against accidentally having a defective child—one that wasn't pristinely created in a lab. Thanks to technological advancements all these Elite men could have biological children by way of DNA harvesting, but only if they used one of the government-run reproductive clinics. Though she had never outright asked one, Kate was under the impression that Elite men quite enjoyed this factor for it allowed them the freedom of sex without worry of unplanned pregnancy and the ability to choose exactly what their son or daughter would be once they were born, unsettling as that was to her.

Kate felt guilty using this argument against Castle—she truly did. It mad her stomach roll and her palms clammy with nervous sweat. Castle did not ask to be born an Elite and thus he did not have a choice how he procreated, but she just couldn't conceptualize having a child that was manufactured by DNA printing machines rather than one that blossomed to life inside her womb.

Though it took the writer a solid few seconds to react when he did his eyes widened. "Oh. Oh, no we could—if that's what you really want."

"How?" she emphasized, not sure how he could make such a statement when she'd made her stance very clear.

He shook his head and held his hand up to encourage her to listen to his explanation. "First Gens aren't sterile. Neither are second gens, I believe? Not entirely sure—never did much research into it and not many people know about it. Case in point." He added with a wry smile.

Kate's heart skipped a beat as that was not a fact she had ever heard before and was certainly one she had never anticipated. As she struggled to comprehend the fact that her so called 'secret weapon' had turned out to be a total dud, Kate turned her eyes towards the loft's stairway. "But Alexis…"

"Is an Elite because that's what Meredith wanted and I never thought to question it."

"But you…"

He bobbed his head. "I found out when I was eighteen and they tested me so I know for sure. The viability of sperm is of the 'flaws' they fixed after the early gens. Wouldn't want to accidentally have an inferior child, would you?" he said with a mirthless laugh and then quickly added, "I'm sorry that was sarcasm directed at them, not us—our future…" He walked up to her, reached down and picked up one of her hands to cradle in his. "I'm ok with this–even if 'this' is planning our child while on our first official date."

At the growing smirk on his face Kate instantly felt mortified. God—that had not been her intention! They weren't officially dating yet so how had they skipped talk of marriage and gone right to talking about children? And it was all her fault! "Ah…shit, I um, actually was just hoping that would be an easy excuse to end this now…"

He hummed under his breath. "At least you're honest. But is that really what you want? To end this? Can't we find a way to make this work?"

"I don't know."

"Kate." His voice was pleading, desperate and it drew moisture to the front of her eyes so she turned away in a childish attempt to hide her tears from him. In response he slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her into his chest, resting his chin on top of her head. "Please, Kate. Can't we find a way?"

Her diaphragm shuttered as she tried to breathe evenly despite the tears spilling down her cheeks. She wanted to walk away and tell herself she was making the right choice—the easier choice. Her working partnership with Castle would fade away and she would get a new partner—one who was actually employed by the NYPD. She'd spend days going through the motions, trying her best to make the city a better place, and then she'd go home to her apartment where she'd watch something on one of her television's one thousand channels, or maybe she'd read one of the hundred books she owned. In time, she might even meet a man—a Normal—and maybe they'd fall in love. Maybe they'd have a family. Maybe she'd only hear about Richard Castle when he published another one of his books, but, god help her, she didn't want that.

The thought of that world—the one in which she would never see him smile again or hear him laugh—made her heart feel as though it was splitting in two. He made her feel so good; he made her feel so happy—happier than she ever thought possible after her mother's death. Days with Richard Castle meant more smiles than frowns and more laughter than heartache. It would be hard for them—so very, very hard—but how could she turn her back on what they had? It had taken her almost three years, but she had fallen in love with him more than she'd ever loved anyone before and that was something worth holding on to because in that world of computers and robots everything could feel so cold and unattached that something warm and real was worth never letting go.

"I…I can't…" She hiccupped out a sob before stepping away from him and turning to see him appearing nearly heartbroken. "I wish that I could walk away from you and save us both from everything we'll face if we're together, but I can't…I can't walk away from you because…because I—I…"

He stepped forward, gripped her cheeks and bent down to brush his lips over hers. Pulling back, he smiled down at her and said, "I love you, too."

Instantly a smile broke through her tears and she fell against him, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. That moment had been the one she'd always dreamed of: when a wonderful man would say that he loved her and she wouldn't be afraid, but overjoyed because she felt the same. Despite the emotional rollercoaster that had occurred in the prior ten minutes, that moment had been well worth the thirty-three year wait.

Castle hugged her close and pressed a kiss onto the top of her head. "We're going to be okay, Kate."

She tilted her had back far enough so that she could look up into his eyes. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure about you. I'm sure about us. Everything else we'll just have to take it as it comes." His tone never wavered and neither did his smile. "So c'mon. Stay here with me."

As he tried to pull her towards the office, she dug her heels in and looked hesitantly back towards the stairs. The last thing she wanted was to be cuddled up with her father (or in an even more compromising situation) when Alexis wanted to go for battle round two. "But…"

The writer jutted his chin towards the second floor. "She needs the night to cool off and what kind of Elite boyfriend would I be if I let you leave still crying?"

A breathy chuckle escaped her lips as she brushed some tears away. "Not a very good one."

He winked at her. "And we wouldn't want that!"

Castle led the way to his office where they sat together on the loveseat there. Kate first sat down beside Castle, but then he pulled her legs across his lap so that she was completely curled around him. They sat that way in a comfortable silence for the better part of ten minutes before Kate lifted her head from his shoulder and said, "I think the only way this is going to work is if we're one hundred percent honest with each other."

He arched his right eyebrow at her. "Did you intend on lying to me otherwise?"

Shaking her head she said, "No, of course not. What I mean is honesty across the board—not trying to cover things up to spare each other's feelings. If you're upset because you're no longer allowed in the Elite clubhouse because of me, I want you to share those feelings." If he didn't, their relationship would surely implode as such a scenario could only breed resentment and distrust.

"I actually prefer the day spa to the clubhouse."

"Castle!"

He squeezed her thigh with his hand. "Yes of course, Kate honesty is best."

"Agreed," she said, resting her head against his shoulder again.

"So what do you have to tell me?"

"Hmm?"

"You wouldn't have brought that up if there wasn't something you were hiding."

Somewhat exasperated, Kate lifted her head and said, "I'm not hiding anything." Truly, she wasn't. She had been envisioning a scenario with them facing resistance and him trying to sweep it under the rug to avoid upsetting her and wanted to be upfront about the fact that she wanted full honesty—even if he thought he was doing it for her own good.

"C'mon—even if you weren't superficially thinking of something, your subconscious was. Let it out, Kate, let it out." He encouraged while poking belly.

She swatted his hand away. "My subconscious isn't hiding anything from you."

"Nothing? Not even anything about…I don't know…" He waved one of his hands casually. "How I'm the best lover you ever had?"

"Castle!" She scolded as she smacked her hand against his chest.

"What? That's a serious question."

"Well it's one I'm not answering."

"Must be because you don't have enough evidence." With that, he swiftly stood off the couch with her cradled in his arms. She gasped at the sudden movement and flung one arm around his neck for support, but had barely found purchase before he'd crossed the room and dumped her onto his bed. Grinning down at her he said, "Guess we'll have to go for round three."

A moment later his lips were on hers and she was flooded with the memories of just how incredible the prior night had been. As amazing as it had been, she knew that that night would be even better, because she had nothing to be uncertain about. He loved her and wanted to be with her despite the adversity they would face and that was certainly something to celebrate.

"Mm god, Kate." He moaned as he pressed his lips against her throat and covered one of her breasts with his hand. "You're so incredible; you're perfect."

Though he'd clearly meant it to be a compliment, for Kate the "p" word felt like pressing the pause button on her libido and she slid a few inches away from the man lavishing her neck with kisses. His brow wrinkled and he asked her what was wrong, but she wasn't even sure herself.

"I'm not perfect, Castle. I'm…not an Elite."

"Uh yeah." He sat up a bit straighter. "That's kind of been the theme of this evening's conversations, but you know I don't care about that."

"I do, but I…I don't know. I've never been with an Elite before for many reasons, but one of them being that I was afraid of not being perfect enough—and I, god." She groaned and covered her face. "I hate that I think that, but it's true."

"Kate." He reached out and gently circled her wrist with his hand so he could pull her hand away from her face. "I love you which means you're perfect to me. You're the only woman I want—truly. I haven't been with anyone in year because I've only wanted you."

Her heart fluttered in her chest as hearing that almost meant more than hearing that he loved her. A nervous giggle bubbling from her throat she said, "I…I haven't been with anyone either—not since Postal-worker Dan." He smiled at her and somehow she felt even sillier. "God, we're so sappy, aren't we?"

"Yeah, and it's great. We're going to make Ryan and Esposito sick."

"Oh." She placed her hand on his chest before he could kiss her again. "Are we going to tell them? About us?"

"Pretty sure they already think we're sleeping together…"

"Wha—really?" she squeaked, having no idea her partners thought that.

He shrugged. "Maybe. Even if they don't they'll eventually figure it out when we, I don't know, invite Kev and Jenny on a double date..."

As nice as that sounded Kate still wasn't sure she wanted to make an announcement right away. "Sure but…maybe could we just keep this to ourselves for a little while? That way we don't have the pressure of everyone judging us when it's still new."

"Kate, Ryan and Espo aren't going to care."

"No, I know they won't and of course we can tell our parents just…no one else for a little while, okay?"

He shrugged. "Okay. If that's what you want." Lifting up his left hand to brush some hair off her face he added, "As long as I can call you mine, Kate Beckett, we can do whatever you want."

A/N: Thank you all so much for your kind reviews -I'm glad to hear you're enjoying my unusual-little AU. reminder: there are 8 chapters in total, so 2 more to go.