a.n. Three chapters. Three days. For those of you who complained about the length of the last chapter, here's a nice long one for you.

This one is hard to read in spots. Lots of angst, but lots of Caskett too, so read on.

Disclaimer: nope.

xxxx

Chapter Thirteen

Previously…

Before she could say anything else, he pressed his lips to hers. Shocked, she did nothing for a second before she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and trying to pull him closer. His tongue slid along her lower lip, seeking permission. Kate moaned and opened her mouth, remembering their first kiss. All too soon he pulled away and gave her a smile that could light up Manhattan.

Leaning back in for another kiss, Kate was interrupted by Ryan who asked, "Are we interrupting something," Kate groaned. Every. Single. Time.

xxxx

Dammit! "Yes! What do you need, guys," she asked, turning to the boys who had smug grins plastered on their faces. They're doing my paperwork for the next month, she thought, narrowing her eyes. '

"We've got the information on the biological parents, the mom will be here in the morning. We're heading out," Esposito said, the grin still on his face.

"Thank you," she said, the irritation evident in her voice. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Bye," they said, walking out of the gym, but not before sharing knowing looks.

Sighing at their lost moment, Kate turned back to Castle who was smiling at her. "They really have bad timing, don't they," he asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Yes. Makes me want to shoot them sometimes," she said, laughing.

"That was amazing," he said, taking her hand.

"I assume you're talking about the kiss, and not the interruption," she asked cheekily.

"No, the interruption of course. That's what I was talking about," he replied sarcastically.

She smiled and gave his hand a squeeze. "It was amazing," she said. "So what now?" She was fearful of his response. She knew from what he'd said that he wasn't ready for a relationship. But then he had kissed her. So where did they stand now? Where did they go from here?

He takes in a deep breath, clearly thinking about what he should say next. "I said that I'm not ready. It's true. But it's…I don't know, it's not right of me to kiss you then ask you to wait a year while I get my shit in order. So maybe…"

He goes silent for a while so she prods him, "maybe?"

"Maybe we can date. We need to take it slow, and I'm not saying that I'm not going to freak out on you at some point, but I will promise to try this."

"You want to go out on a date?"

He nods. "You know, me in a fancy suit, you a sexy dress, a nice restaurant, a goodnight kiss at your door afterwards. That sort of thing. I don't know where we'll go with it yet, and I know we have to go slow, but I want this so much that I'm willing to try, even if I might not be ready for it."

"Why, Rick? I will wait for you if you want to wait. I said I would and I will."

"Because the truth is, Kate, I might never be ready. Or at least I might never feel like I'll be ready. Like I said, I've been in therapy trying to get back to myself for six years, and I don't know if there has really been any progress. What if in another six years, you're still waiting and I'm still not ready. That's not fair to either of us. The only thing in life I know for sure is that life is short and that it might be taken from you at any time. We've both learned that from our pasts. So, while I might not feel ready to do this, I know that I can't waste time if it's what we both want."

Smiling at him, she said, "Wow."

"Yeah. My speeches will often leave you without words," he said, chuckling.

"Right."

"Friday?"

"For what?"

"Date night?"

"Sure. Pick me up at 7."

xxxx

The next day (let's call it Thursday for shits and giggles)…

The biological parents were a dead end. While good suspects, they both had alibis. Sorenson wasn't talking to her about anything but the case. Though, Kate had to admit, that was perfectly fine with her. She still saw him countless times throwing dirty looks at Castle.

Finally, as they started making their way to the Candela's apartment to arrange the money drop, Kate had enough. Before they got onto the elevator at the precinct she pulled Sorenson aside and into the breakroom.

"You need to stop treating him like shit."

"Who," he asked, playing dumb.

"Castle. He's my partner. You and I are over. You need to stop being a douchebag, and work this case. Your immaturity is affecting your ability to do the job. I will not lose another kid because you're too obsessed with getting into my pants. Now knock it off." With that she stalked out to the elevator where her partner was waiting and pressed the down button.

"Everything okay?" Castle asked.

"Fine."

Obviously choosing to stay silent, despite the fact that she knew he could tell she was lying they made their way down to the first floor and to her car, on their way to arrange the money drop to get a little girl back to her parents.

xxxx

"The kidnappers asked for one hundred packs of hundred dollar bills with non-sequential serial numbers and also warned against bait money, dye packs, and trackers," said a FBI tech who had been present when the ransom call had come in.

"What were the drop instructions," Kate asked, as she, Castle and Sorenson stood nearby the parents who were packing up the money into a backpack.

"Said they'd call us," the tech replied.

"All right, let's finish getting it packed up, and get set up to make the drop." Sorenson said, and then turned to give some of his people instructions.

"We should ask for proof of life," Castle said, before Sorenson could get too far.

"We will," he snapped. "When they call back. Don't tell me how to do my job."

Giving Sorenson a dirty look, Kate turned to the parents, hoping that Castle would do the same.

"Why didn't they tell us where to take the money?"

"They're testing us. We'll need to do the same, which is when Agent Sorenson here will make sure your little girl is alive," Kate responded.

"What if they won't give proof?" Alfred asked.

"How can you ask that," his wife asked him accusingly.

"I…"

"You think she's dead?"

"NO!"

"This is all your fault. I should never have left her with you. You're a terrible father!" She yelled and then stormed off towards another room.

Before she could get too far, the phone rang, making the mother freeze in the tracks. "Mrs. Candela," Kate said, walking towards her, "we need you to get your emotions under control and take this call. It's important."

Beckett guided her over to the FBI tech's table where the phone lay ringing. "Come on," she said.

"Remember, no proof, no money! We can't take no for an answer on that." Nodding at the mother and the FBI tech monitoring the phone line, he said "Alright here we go."

"Hello?"

"Listen carefully," a scrambled voice said over the speaker. "Any deviation from our demands and your daughter will die."

"I understand," Mrs. Candela said.

"A civilian, not a cop, must make the drop or we kill the girl. We see the police or the FBI and she dies. Do you have the money?"

"Yes. $1 million. Like you said."

"Put it into the backpack and bring it to the northeast corner of 1st Ave and 47th. There is a mailbox there with a cell phone taped underneath. We'll text that phone further instructions once you pick it up. When we have the money, we'll give you directions to the girl."

"Ask for proof that she's okay!" Beckett whispered into Theresa's ear.

"You won't get anything unless I know she's alright!" There's a silence on the line before they all hear some shuffling.

"Mama?"

"Hi, baby!"

Before the little girl can say anything else, the scrambled voice comes back and says "You have one hour."

xxxx

They move into the living room to make preparations for the drop.

"Once they have the cash there's no incentive to keep her alive. So I'll make the drop. We'll put our people one block out from the mailbox," Sorenson said looking around at the group.

"No. They said no cops," argues Alfred.

"I've done this before. They won't know I'm an FBI agent," he soothed.

"And if they do?"

"Mr. Candela, we need this to go as smoothly as possible."

"She's my daughter. I will be following their instructions to the letter. I'm not going to put her in any more danger than she already is. They said no cops, so there will be no cops," he shouted forcefully. "I will do this. Do I make myself clear?"

Kate dreaded where this conversation was going. She knew what would happen next, even if she tried to steer it away. She had a really bad feeling about this.

"No. We can't send the father. Too many things could go wrong. Way too emotional," Sorenson said, shaking his head.

"What choice do we have?" Beckett asked.

"Me," Castle said from behind them, where he had been standing silently. He'd not said anything since Sorenson had lashed out at him before the phone call.

Closing her eyes against it, hoping would just all go away, she said, "You sure, Castle?"

"Yeah. I'm not a cop, as Agent Sorenson has so rightly pointed out many times over the last two days, and I can control my emotions enough to do this."

"No. Absolutely not," Sorenson said adamantly.

"The NYPD already has signed forms from me. And you don't have enough time to find someone else. This little girl is not going to die because of your dislike and distrust of me," Castle said, his shoulders straightening.

"He can do this, Will. He's been through tough situations before. He's our only option," Beckett said, looking at her ex.

xxxx

"These people are dangerous, Rick. So you have to be careful. Stay alert and focused," Beckett said, tightening up his vest after the FBI tech wired him up. "You can't go get yourself shot. We've got plans Friday night, you hear? And I expect you to be on time."

"I'll be okay, Kate. I know what it's like to lose a child, I'm not going to do anything that can get their little girl killed. And I'll stay safe. I promise."

"Okay. Well let's gets ready to go. Be careful."

"I will."

xxxx

Kate watched from the front seat of Sorenson's vehicle as Castle approached the mailbox. For some reason her nerves were on high alert, despite what she knew happened next. At least I think I know, she thought. "I'm approaching the mailbox," Castle aid over the radio.

"He's quite a guy," Sorenson said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"What do you mean?"

"Well you obviously like him a lot more than you let on, so he's made an impression on the ice queen."

Scowling at him, she returned her attention to Castle. "Can we just focus please? And remember what I said about not being a douchebag?"

She watched as Castle leaned over and started to search underneath the mailbox for the phone.

"Guys?"

"Yeah, Castle?" Beckett said, noticing the concern in her partner's voice.

"The phone isn't here."

xxxx

Kate knew something had felt off. Something was completely different this time than it was last time. After searching the area around the mailbox, they had come up empty. They had no idea why the phone wasn't where it was supposed to be. It was Castle who had posited a theory.

"What if someone saw the kidnapper place it there, and took it. It's not a terrible part of town, of course, but this is still New York City. People steal phones all the time."

"That has to be what happened," Beckett said. "But what happens now? We need to find whoever took Angela. Like right now!"

"We have no leads, Beckett," Sorenson points out, unhelpfully. "We need to regroup and see if the kidnappers call again. Hopefully they aren't really interested in killing the kid."

"Is that what we do," Castle said sarcastically. "We hope?"

"It's all we can do! What do you want from me?" Sorenson shouts at Castle, getting in his face.

Castle backs away, obviously not willing to engage the FBI agent further.

"Come on," Beckett said, exasperated. "We should go back to the Candela's and tell them the news."

xxxx

"You can find the little girl's body near the Central Park North entrance to Central Park. You should have never jerked me around," the scrambled voice said on a phone call they received not 15 minutes after they got back to the Candela's apartment.

Beckett's blood turned to ice as she listened to the recording again, knowing that this was all her fault. If I hadn't been sent back, Angela would still be alive. So would Alexis. This is all my fault.

After receiving the phone call, they had sent Ryan and Esposito to the scene to see if the kidnapper had been telling the truth. They were waiting on the boys to call it in, while Castle tried to console the parents who were both dealing with this latest news as only parents would.

Beckett sat watching him interact with the parents, soothing them, telling them not to jump to conclusions until they knew for sure. At that moment, she fell a little bit more in love with him, despite the desperate situation.

She was pulled from her thoughts by her phone. Grabbing it with a shaky hand, she said "Beckett."

"We found her. She's dead," Esposito said, his voice defeated.

Closing her eyes against the sudden rush of tears and grief, she said, "We'll be right there, Espo." Hanging up, she went over to where Sorenson was leaning against the window, watching Castle.

"She's dead," Beckett told the FBI agent. "We should go to the scene. You should break it to the parents." Without waiting for a reply, not wanting him to see her so vulnerable, she walked over to Castle and said, "Rick we need to go, Sorenson needs a moment." She wanted to spare Rick from seeing the parents receiving the news.

Seeing the look on her face, Castle followed her out of the apartment. "Kate?"

Taking a breath, she turned towards him as they exited the building. "They killed her, Rick. Sorenson is telling them now. It was his case, it should come from him."

"God. How could this have gotten so messed up?" He asked, tears in his eyes.

"I don't know. But we'll get the bastard who did this. Do you want to help? Or do you want to go back in there?" she asked, pointing to the building.

"I'll help. Let's go."

xxxx

It was the brother. He was jealous of all his sister had given her husband and wanted it for himself. When the kidnapping drop went wrong, he had lost it and killed Angela Candela. After canvasing the crime scene, they had found a street cam which showed the brother leaving the phone underneath the mailbox. There was no evidence that either of the girl's parents had anything to do with the kidnapping this time around.

After making the arrest, Castle had excused himself for the day. He had been extremely helpful after getting to the crime scene; driven to find the monster who had killed the little girl. But he had been quiet about it. She could tell that the case had unsettled him. She had tried a couple times to comfort him, but he'd said he was fine and went back to work. He had left the precinct too fast for her to try again, so she just sat down and started to work on the paperwork.

She was interrupted by someone sitting in Castle's chair. Looking up, expecting her author, she was met instead by a harried looking Will Sorenson.

"Hey," he said somberly.

"Hey."

"Listen. I'm sorry about…you know. I acted like a jealous teenager all case. I just hope my attitude didn't get this little girl killed. I don't think I could handle that."

Sighing, she looked over at him. "It's not your fault, Will. Someone stole the phone. We saw them do it on the surveillance cam. There was no way you could have foreseen that."

Taking a deep breath he said, "I know. Listen. It was good working with you again. And for what it's worth, I hope you two are happy together." He stood up, offered his hand, which she shook, and then walked to the stairwell and disappeared.

xxxx

The next evening (Friday)…

Castle hadn't come into the precinct that day, though he had texted to confirm their date. Around five o'clock, Kate packed up her things and headed to her apartment to get ready for their night out. She was nervous. She and Castle in her previous time had never really dated. She had just shown up at his door one night and issued her proclamation. The rest was history.

So she didn't really know what to expect from a real first date with Richard Castle. She decided, once she got home, that she would dress to impress.

After arriving home, she showered and got out the slinkiest black dress she owned. It was classy while still showing enough skin that he'd not be able to take his eyes off of her all night.

After making sure she was ready, she headed out to her living room, and turned on the TV, hoping to distract herself from the nerves.

It didn't work.

xxxx

At 7 he knocked at her door. Smiling, because she had missed him after not seeing him for a while 24 hours, she got up and opened the door for him.

"Hey, Rick," she said, looking him over. He looked amazing. Dressed in a dark black suit with a blue shirt and a blue and gray striped tie, he cut quite the figure.

"Hey. You look…Amazing, Kate."

Blushing she said, "Thanks. You look pretty good yourself, Castle."

"Oh, these are for you. Kind of first date tradition, you know?" He handed her a bouquet of purple roses.

"They're beautiful. How did you know purple was my favorite color?" she asked, moving aside so he could come in, then making her way to the kitchen to find a vase to put the flowers in.

"Just a lucky guess," he said, looking around her apartment, no doubt cataloguing the contents for use in a future Nikki Heat book.

"Castle? How did you know?"

"You have a favorite leather jacket. It's purple, so I made a leap."

"Ah," she said, putting the flowers in the vase after cutting off the stems. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't get to see you today, you doing okay? I know that case hit you pretty hard."

"Yeah. I just needed to step away for a little while. I'll likely take this weekend off too. That one just hit a little close to home."

"We don't have to go out tonight if you don't want. We can stay in," she said, not wanting to pressure him into doing something he wasn't feeling up to.

"No. It'll be good to get out. And to tell you the truth, I'm looking forward to it. I haven't been out on a real first date since college, and most of those didn't go that well."

"Oh, I'd like to hear some of those stories," she said as they made their way down to the first floor after closing up her apartment.

"I'll tell you some of them. Some were just bad. But I'll gladly let you make fun of my immature days."

"Good. Now where are we going?"

"Nah uh, it's a surprise."

xxxx

Needless to say, she was surprised. She had expected the restaurant to be nice, maybe not glitzy, but she hadn't expected the small out of the way Italian place they had ended up. It was nice, but it felt more Mom-and-Pop than she would have expected for a first date. She loved it.

"God, Rick, this place looks amazing."

"I've known the owners of this place since I was in middle school. Mama Rosa treated me as one of her own. She and her husband knew my mom from way back. When we moved back to the city when I turned 14, they reconnected and she introduced me to them. I do have to admit, you're the first woman I've ever brought here, so you'll likely be interrogated quite thoroughly."

"Mama Rosa is protective of you is she?" Kate asked as they found a table and sat down across from one another.

"Oh, yeah. I come here once a month, usually with mother. And she always asks me," Rick alters his voice to talk in a high pitched old-lady Italian accent, "Ricky, when you gonna find a nice girl to settle down with? You're too old to be alone, my boy!"

Kate laughed, imagining the scene, knowing how uncomfortable that must make him each time he hears it. "So what, she's going to assume I'm that one," Kate asked before she could stop herself.

"Oh yeah. She'll start planning the wedding and start making a list of possible baby names. Just be prepared to deflect, and you'll be fine. Ah, here she is," he said, looking behind her.

"Ricky! My boy!" Mama Rosa shouted as she came up to their table. "How are you," she asked as she pinched his cheeks.

"I'm good, Mama Rosa. How are you? How's Frank?"

"I'm fantastic! Frank's off on one of his fishing trips. Man couldn't catch a fish to save his life. Now who is this lovely young flower?"

"Mama Rosa, this is Detective Kate Beckett, Kate this is Mama Rosa."

"Nice to meet you, Mama Rosa," Kate said, as the older woman leaned down and kissed both of her cheeks.

"You didn't tell me that you were dating, Ricky! It's about time you found the one!" Rosa said, smacking Rick's cheek.

"Mama Rosa, please don't embarrass me any more than you already have," Rick said, blushing furiously.

Scowling at him, Mama Rosa said, "When have I ever embarrassed you, Ricky? I've known you since you were a little freckle faced boy."

"Ah, yes, how could I forget the freckles?"

"And don't forget the pimples, Ricky."

"Oh, God. This was a mistake."

Kate couldn't stop laughing. She didn't want to laugh at him, but she had never met Mama Rosa in their previous time. She wonders if this is another change or if the previous Castle had never introduced them. "Was it bad, Rick?" she asked between giggles.

"Don't you start, Beckett. I'll ask Ryan and Esposito for embarrassing stories about you."

"They wouldn't tell you."

"Sure they would. Esposito would tell me anything for a ride in the Ferrari. For sure."

"Not a chance."

"Alright. Mama Rosa, we'd like The Special."

"Oh, romantic! She must mean a lot to you, Ricky."

"What's the Special," Kate asked.

"It's a traditional Italian meal. You'll love it."

"I'll get them to bring it right out, Ricky." Turning to Kate, Mama Rosa said, "Don't you hurt him, Kate. If you do you will be dealing with me."

"Don't worry, Ma'am. I'll treat him right. I promise."

xxxx

Dinner was fantastic. The food was delicious, and the company was extraordinary. Rick told her several embarrassing stories from his past, stories that he hadn't told her before. She in turn told him more about her mother and father and her time growing up in the city. She couldn't ever remembering having such an amazing first date.

As they made their way out of the restaurant, after saying goodbye to Mama Rosa, Rick took her hand and said, "Feel like a walk?"

"Sure." She didn't want this night to end. Ever.

"I had a really good time tonight, Kate. I was really worried about it. I didn't know what to expect, and I admit I wasn't really ready for it. But I'm glad that we took this step. Even with all those stories Mama Rosa told you."

"I had a good time too. I liked learning more about you."

"Yeah, I'm sure you did. If any of those stories get back to Ryan and Esposito, I'll never speak to you again," he threatened.

"I wouldn't tell them anything. I promise," she said, giving his hand a squeeze as they walked towards her apartment.

"So what do we call this? Do we tell anyone?"

"Rick, I…I'm going to follow your lead. We can go at whatever pace you want. I'm just happy we're here together, honestly. Labels and announcements can come later if you want."

He smiled over at her. "I won't hold us back too long, Kate. After tonight I feel more ready for us than I did before. We'll work on it together."

Smiling back at him she said, "That sounds good." She stopped and tugged on his arm, pulling him close. She leaned forward, their heights similar because of her heels, and kissed him like she had wanted to do all evening. God she loved kissing him. She just loved him.

xxxx

a.n.2. No Cliffy! Hoo-Ray!

So a couple things. I know that getting them together this soon might seem to be rushing things. But I think that it'll work better with what I have planned from a drama standpoint.

Second, I have a word for Guest reviewers. If you're going to leave a negative comment, have the balls to log in so I can respond. Don't be a coward.

For the rest of you, you're all amazing people. Leave some more reviews.