She raises her eyebrows, glances meaningfully at the clothes strewn about the room as she moves against him. "How about you show me again how not sorry you are that I'm here right now?"
Kate leaves early again the next morning, before Rick can make her breakfast. She allows him to press a coffee into her hands, and she stands and drinks it as the counter as he makes pancakes for Alexis. The nine year old is laughing, giggling wildly as Rick shows her the patterns he's made in the pan, and he sees the twitch of a smile and thinks Kate wants to relent and let him make pancakes for her too. She tells him she probably won't be around for the next few days since her roster is switching to afternoons today for a few days, and stands pensively, staring unseeingly into space.
"You seem quiet?
"Hmm?" She looks up at him. "No, just thinking. About breakfast with my Dad," she clarifies.
"Oh yeah. You mentioned him the other day too?" He keeps his voice casual, but he remembers vividly, her impassioned statement, the words spilling out of her mouth bitterly as she'd asked him whether he'd be including an alcoholic father as part of Nikki's back story.
"Are you having breakfast with your Dad?" Alexis asks. She sounds curious as she pours herself a tall glass of milk.
Kate nods at his daughter. "Uh-huh." She's kind of tight lipped, and he can see the effort it's taking her to answer Alexis.
It goes over Alexis' head though. "Is he cooking for you? My Dad won't ever take me out for breakfast, he likes cooking too much."
"Yeah? Where did you learn to cook, Castle? Your Mom?"
He laughs before he can stop himself, but Alexis goes a step further and laughs so hard and so suddenly that milk comes out of her nose.
"Ah, no. Self taught." He chuckles as he reaches for a cloth to wipe up Alexis' mess.
"Grams is a terrible cook," Alexis clarifies.
Rick agrees. "She's ambitious in the kitchen, no doubt. But her idea of a well rounded breakfast is a bloody mary, so…"
"So she's terrible!" Alexis is still laughing. Kate laughs too.
"Well, my Dad- actually, he can cook, but he doesn't so much, I guess." She shrugs uncomfortably. "Look, I gotta go."
Kate puts her coffee cup down, and Rick walks her to the door, helping her into her jacket before pressing a kiss onto her cheek. She turns her head though, and kisses her mouth finds his, kissing him hard and hot and when they part, Rick rests his forehead against hers, breathing out heavily, holding onto her shoulders like he doesn't want to let her go. "Sorry," she whispers, tilting her head towards Alexis, biting her lip sheepishly.
He smiles at her, missing her already as she walks into the hallway, calling goodbye to Alexis, who is giggling into her pancakes.
He shuts the door behind her, whirls around to meet his daughter's eyes.
"She's so your girlfriend, Dad."
"And you're okay with that, huh, young lady?"
Alexis giggles. "Uh huh. I like her. But Dad?" She pauses, looks up at him with her nine year old seriousness. "Why is she so sad about meeting her Dad for breakfast?" Damn. His child misses nothing.
Breakfast with her father is awkward, two people who had become strangers sitting opposite one another. By the time Kate had made it back to her apartment to change and then rushed out the door, it had started sleeting, and she's cursing herself for wearing a woolen jacket instead of a waterproof one. Jim, for his part, is well and truly sober, and he assures her that he hasn't touched the bottle for more than a week. It embarrasses her that he feels the need to tell her this at all, justify himself, that this is even a topic in their lives. She's seen addiction from behind her uniform, but seeing her own father a victim of something she can't save him from hits far too close to home.
"That's great, Dad," she says, weakly.
"Are you seeing anyone?" He switches tacks suddenly and she is suddenly reminded just how tired she is. Working long hours, seeing Rick this week- it's all taking a toll.
She'd rubbed the bridge of her nose, shook her head. "Kind of," she'd admitted at last.
Her father had beamed. "That's great, Katie."
Honestly, Kate can't remember the last time she introduced someone to her father. Back in high school, she guesses. Senior Prom? She'd gone away for college, so the guys she'd met in her freshman year had been on the other side of the country. By the time she'd transferred to NYU, her Dad was long gone, a shell in his place. So she nods, agrees, and fills her mouth with pancakes to avoid having to reply. The pancakes are okay, but she wishes she was back in the loft, eating pancakes there. With Castle.
At that moment, her phone beeps, and she reaches for it, sees Castle's message. Miss you. She can't stop the smile on her face, and when she looks up she sees her father looking at her. "That him?" He nods his head at the phone.
"Yeah," she admits.
"He make you happy?"
"It's really new."
"But you're happy." It's not a question anymore.
"Yeah, Dad. He makes me happy." She bites her lip, takes a breath, before deciding she can offer a little more up. "His name is Rick."
"He a cop?"
At that, Kate laughs. "He wishes. No, he's- He's a writer. Mystery novels." She rolls her eyes, mostly at herself. Her father is watching her expectantly. Fine. "Richard Castle, Dad. I'm dating Richard Castle."
"The Richard Castle?" He's looking at her like she's insane. She feels like her father's little girl again, admitting this over coffee and pancakes, and she blushes. "Your Mom- she'd be jealous, you know!"
Kate laughs. Sometimes, just sometimes, they can mention Johanna without the sky falling in. "Sorry Dad, but yeah, she would."
"So how did you meet him? Through work?"
She snorts. "How, Dad? Tell me how I would possibly meet a famous writer at work?"
Alexis suggests a movie marathon, in light of the fact that the weather is dismal. It sounds like a perfect Saturday to Rick. He wonders what kind of movies Kate likes. He doesn't have the most conventional schedule, but he usually tries to keep the weekends free for Alexis. Kate, on the other hand, does shift work, and he wonders what that's going to be like for them. He shakes his head at himself. He's not even wondering if, anymore, with Kate. It's when and what and how. He's done. He makes popcorn while Alexis gathers blankets and pillows. Disney is the order of the day- they like to do themes, and they start with The Lion King, followed by Beauty and the Beast. When the second film finishes he excuses himself to use the bathroom.
He walks back through his bedroom, the sight of the still unmade bed bringing a smile to his face, and he quickly pulls the covers up, opens the curtains fully, letting in the light. The sleet has cleared up and a few rays of sunlight have fought their way through the clouds, letting a few weak beams in through the windows. A glint catches his light, and he spots Kate's necklace on his dresser. He picks it up for the first time. A simple silver chain with a ring- her mother's, he assumes. He's seen the chain under her shirt, but this is the first time he's had a good look at it.
His cell phone starts ringing from the kitchen, and he's still holding the necklace as he goes to answer it, smiling as he's sees Kate's name come up on the screen. "Hello, Officer Beckett."
"Hey, Castle."
"Miss me already?"
"Mmm." She's non committal, but he can hear the smile in her voice. "Actually, I was wondering- have you seen my necklace? Could you maybe take a look, see if I left it at your place?" He reads the underlying worry in her voice.
"I have. I have it here. Want me to bring it to you?"
"No, no," she assures him. "I can get it next time I see you. Thanks." There's a pause. "Anyway, lots of paperwork today, so I'd better get back to it."
"Just paperwork? No murders?" He's disappointed for her, combined with relief that she's at the precinct itself.
"No murders." He thinks she sounds disappointed too. "Just a quiet and boring day drinking bad coffee."
It's around five, and Beckett's sorting through witness statements from yesterday's shooting when she hears her name. One of the other uniforms is calling out to her. "Beckett, you have a visitor, downstairs." Huh. Her Dad has been by, before, just the once- and he was drunk- so surely it can't be him. Not after such a good morning. She takes the elevator down, trying to fix her hair on the descent, because she suddenly knows exactly who she's going to see at the front desk.
Castle's holding two coffees, his blue eyes sparkling as he takes her in when she steps out from the elevator. She can't stop the smile from breaking out on her face, but she manages to stop herself from reaching for him, pressing a kiss to his mouth. He holds one of the coffees out to her. "I couldn't stand for you to be drinking bad coffee all day," he explains.
"No? Well, I'll never say no to a good coffee." She takes a sip. "Vanilla?" She's impressed. How he guessed she would like vanilla is beyond her.
He reaches into his pocket, hands her the necklace wordlessly.
"You didn't have to bring it. I really could have picked it up later, you know?"
He shrugs. "I figured it meant a lot to you. And if you were really okay with getting it later, you would have texted, not called."
Kate tilts her head, a tacit agreement that yes, she prefers to have the necklace now. "But still." She bites her lip, meets his eyes. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. And-" he smirks. "Vanilla. Am I right, or am I right?"
She shakes her head, rolling her eyes, changes the subject. "Where's Alexis?"
"What, you think I'm bringing my daughter to a police station?" He laughs. "No, kidding, I would have brought her, but she's on a Disney bender, so I let my mother know I had an emergency. Mother's watching Aladdin with Alexis as we speak."
"Hmm. Your use of the word emergency-"
"-Is liberal, sure. But I'm a writer. And anyway, letting my girl-"
"-Your girl?"
"-My girl-" he continues as though she hasn't interrupted- "drink bad coffee actually is an emergency. Especially after this morning, since I know you didn't get any pancakes."
"Actually, I did. I had pancakes with my Dad."
"With funny faces?"
"No funny faces," Kate confirms.
"I'll make it up to you. Funny face pancakes next time. Anyway- how did this morning go, with your Dad? You seemed pretty worried."
"It was okay, actually. He was sober, so…" Kate trails off. She doesn't really want to get into this now. "What do you have on for the rest of the evening?"
He grimaces. "Mother-" he makes air quotes with his fingers "promised-" Rick casts his eyes heavenward- "to help start dinner. So actually, I have to hurry back to supervise, otherwise Alexis and I will be ordering in."
Kate laughs. "Big Saturday night, huh?"
"Well," he tosses back. "Plan A was to woo a hot young woman, but she's pulled the late shift, so the hot date has to wait." He waits a beat. "When are you free, Kate? For a real date, I mean?"
"Rick, if I go on-" it's Kate's turn to make air quotes- "a real date-" she narrows her eyes at him- "with you- can you promise me you won't go giving your number out to anyone else?"
He has the good grace to look abashed as her reaches out to brush her fingers. "I promise."
Beckett grins. "Friday, Castle. You can take me out next Friday." She leans in, wants, again, to kiss him, but restrains herself. Too many eager eyes in the precinct, all pretending they're not watching her. "Thanks for the coffee. And my necklace."
A/N: Thanks, once again for all reviews, they make my day. I don't want to be greedy, but I want more! I think the next chapter is close. Hope you all keep enjoying!
