Despite having gone to bed early, Monday morning came too quickly for Kate. She felt as though her alarm had sounded only moments after she'd gone to sleep. She stretched and rolled over, blinking in the rays of sunlight sneaking into the room from behind the closed curtains. It's too early, she thought, settling her head deep into her pillow. Suddenly, she remembered why she needed to get up so early today: she had a job interview. Butterflies began to dance in her stomach as all the confidence she'd built up the previous day dissipated.

Who am I kidding, she thought. I can't do this. Kate was just a teenager; her only previous work experience was a cashier position in high school. There was no chance of her getting a full-time job as a judge's secretary. She would just back out of the interview, but she knew it would crush Castle if she did. He'd taken the time to personally arrange it for her, because he was sweet and caring and kind and…

Stop it, Kate, she scolded herself. This wasn't the time to develop feelings for Castle. She rolled out of bed, shuffling sleepily into the bathroom.

After a quick shower, she stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her torso, and began to walk toward her closet. She froze, though, and let out a small shriek when she realized he was in her room, standing by the door, as if he had just entered. His face flushed, eyes darting to the ground as soon as he saw Kate in her semi-naked state.

"I… uh… just wanted to make sure you'd woken up in time," Castle said, turning back to face the bedroom door.

"Yeah," Kate affirmed, cheeks reddening to match his.

"Sorry," Castle mumbled. "I'll just… er… breakfast," he trailed off, closing the door behind him as he hastily exited the room.

Well, that was awkward. Kate remained frozen for a moment, trying unsuccessfully to stop herself from imagining Castle wearing nothing but a towel. Finally, she sighed, shaking her head slowly, and opened her closet door. She selected her favorite of the two interview outfits Martha had purchased from Saks Fifth Avenue the day before and put it on, carefully inspecting herself in the full-length mirror hanging from the back of her closet door. The mirror was another of Castle's purchases from the day before. "I don't know much about girls, but I know they like mirrors," he'd said sheepishly. "I figured you'd want one for your room."

That man truly did think of everything. Much as Kate hated to admit it, he really did take good care of her. She never had gotten a straight answer from him as to why he'd chosen to care for her, though. "Because you're tall" was his response when she'd asked him that day in the café. He'd obviously evaded answering her question, and she'd chosen not to press the matter. Maybe she'd bring it up again one day soon.

She walked into her bathroom, wiped the fog from the round mirror with a hand towel, and began applying the makeup that Martha had helped her select during their shopping trip. Martha had thought of everything, too. She could be pushy and overbearing at times, but deep down, she was caring and thoughtful.

And of course, there was Alexis. That girl was so sensible and responsible for someone so young. Kate would be going to her interview with wet hair had Alexis not suggested they purchase a hair dryer. "You should get a curling iron, too," the child had added. "That way, we can curl our hair big and puffy like Christina Aguilera!" Of course, Martha had purchased the iron, despite Kate's insistence that her hair curled just fine on its own.

Kate grinned, her reflection grinning back at her in the mirror. The Castle family was definitely spoiling her.

Kate had barely spoken two words on their drive to the courthouse, choosing to stare out the taxi window in silence for the duration of their ride. She's quiet when she's nervous, Rick thought, remembering how Kate had hardly spoken in the moments before she entered his apartment for the first time. He'd insisted on accompanying her today, hoping his presence could help ease her nerves. But even his best jokes hadn't cracked a smile this morning. That was yet another way that Kate differed from all the other women he'd spent time with before. No matter the situation, he could always find a way to make the woman smile. Not Kate Beckett, though. She was tough as nails. And oddly enough, he liked that about her.

He entered the courthouse with her, escorting her straight to the judge's suite, where the interview would take place. He knew Kate would probably be overwhelmed if she had to find the office on her own, and judging by the way her wide-eyed gaze was darting quickly around the lobby and hallways as they walked, he knew he had been correct about that.

Rick opened the door to the judge's suite and held it as she walked in. He stood by the wall, waiting as she introduced herself to the current secretary, who picked up the phone to alert the judge to Kate's arrival. After the woman hung up the phone, Kate glanced over her shoulder and met Rick's eyes for a brief moment. He smiled and nodded reassuringly, spirits lifting as he watched a smile begin to play at the corners of Kate's mouth. She'd be great, and he knew it.

"Castle!" a booming voice exclaimed. Rick moved immediately toward the tall, balding man who had just entered the room, shaking his hand with a smile.

"Markaway! Long time, no see," Castle said genially, releasing the man's hand to gesture toward Kate. "Judge Markaway, I'd like to introduce you to Kate."

Kate hesitantly held out her hand. "Kate Beckett. It's nice to meet you," she said, voice quiet. Rick could tell that she was still feeling nervous, but was trying to sound confident.

Judge Markaway took her hand in both of his, his large palms dwarfing her slender fingers. "Kate. It's an honor," he said, gently shaking her hand. As he released it, he turned to Rick. "We should only be thirty minutes," Markaway said. "You waiting here?"

"Yes, sir," Castle answered. "She and I have a couple of errands to run this afternoon, so I'll just wait here." Kate shot him a confused look as Judge Markaway escorted her into his office, but Rick's only response was a smirk and a raised eyebrow. He hadn't told Kate about his plans for their afternoon yet. He knew she'd protest when she found out what was going on, so it would be a surprise. For now, though, he'd keep her wondering.

Rick sat in the armchair against the wall of the suite's lobby and pulled out his notebook. He'd been so busy with Kate the last couple of days that he hadn't written much. It was time for his undercover crime-fighting detective Nikki Heat to have a few adventures.

Forty minutes later, the door to Markaway's office opened. Rick snapped his notebook shut, hastily shoving it into his bag, and stood. Markaway and Kate were coming down the hallway, and… laughing. They were both laughing. Rick let out his breath in relief. Surely, laughter was a sign that the interview had gone well.

The duo finally appeared in the suite's lobby, a smile decorating Kate's face. "…and it was my pleasure, Kate," Judge Markaway finished, leading her to the lobby door. "You'll hear back from me in no less than three days. So Rick," the judge said, turning to face Castle. "I'm headed to Pelham Bay for a round of golf Saturday morning. Tee time is 9:00. Care to join me?"

"Maybe! I'll let you know," Castle said, winking subtly at Kate. "I'll have to see if my babysitter's available." He wanted Kate to know that he didn't expect her to babysit every time he asked—he wanted her to have a choice, and the power to say "no" if she needed to. The resulting grin on her face indicated to him that she understood.

As they walked through the courthouse, making their way outside, Kate chattered excitedly. According to her, interview had gone "totally great," Judge Markaway was "awesome," and she was "like ninety-nine percent sure" the job would be hers. Rick couldn't have been any happier for her, and the smile on Kate's face when he told her that was the biggest he'd ever seen.

"Okay, Castle. You still haven't told me where we're going," Kate said. He'd given the taxi driver an address, ignoring Kate's questions about what "errands" he had planned.

"You're exactly right, I haven't," Rick said, earning an annoyed look from Kate. "It's a surprise, okay? All I can tell you right now is that you can't go into the place we're going dressed as professionally as you are right now," he continued. "So I brought you a change of clothes." He reached into his bag, pulling out Kate's new jeans and one of her new blouses.

Kate's eyes widened. "You went through my clothes?" she asked, her tone unreadable.

"Well, to be fair, the jeans were on the floor," Rick answered simply. "And I pulled a random shirt out of your closet. No harm done." He smiled, undeterred by the look Kate was shooting him.

"Fine," she sighed. "Where am I supposed to change?"

"That's easy," Castle answered. "There's a Starbucks not too far from our destination, and that's our first stop. Oh, look, here we are," he said as the driver pulled the car to the curb in front of the building. "You go in and change, and I'll go get us both some coffee. What do you want?"

Kate followed Rick out of the car, joining him on the sidewalk in front of Starbucks. "I, uh… I actually don't like coffee," she said, sounding embarrassed.

"What? You don't like coffee?" Rick said incredulously. "Miss Beckett, if you are going to live in Chez Castle, you must like coffee. It's a requirement. Even Alexis likes it, and she's six. Oh, I know something I bet you'd like," he continued. "My ex didn't like coffee, either, but there was this one certain drink she loved. You should try it. Do you trust me?"

Kate looked at him, confused. "Castle, I…"

"Do you trust me, Kate?" He lowered his voice, speaking gently, and looked her directly in the eyes.

She was silent for a moment, eyes locked on his. "Yes," she finally answered quietly, nodding her head slightly.

Rick smiled. "It's settled, then," he said. "You go change, and I'll buy the coffee. I'll meet you by the front door when you're done."

A few minutes later, Kate walked out of the bathroom, wearing jeans and a purple top, carrying the outfit she'd worn for the interview neatly folded in her hands. Castle had forgotten to bring her different shoes, so she was still wearing her beige pumps. He was amazed at how easily and confidently Kate was able to walk in the three-inch heels. Not many women could.

"My eyes are up here, Castle," Kate said jokingly, pulling his attention from her feet to her face.

"I'm just amazed at how easily you can walk in those things," he said reverently, watching as a grin appeared on Kate's face. "Here you go." He handed her one of the paper cups in his hand, steam rising from the opening in the lid. "I got you a grande because I know you'll like it," he said, watching as Kate lifted the cup to her lips, taking a cautious sip.

Her eyes widened as she swallowed. "Oh, wow," she said. "This is actually really good! What is it?"

"Skim latte with two pumps of sugar-free vanilla," Rick answered. "It was Meredith's favorite. She always got skim milk and sugar-free vanilla, because she thought that made it healthier. But if you don't like it with skim…"

"Castle," Kate interrupted. "It's great." She smiled. "Looks like I might like coffee after all."

"And I couldn't be happier," Castle said proudly, holding the front door open for Kate to walk through. He led her down the sidewalk for a couple of blocks, finally stopping in front of a Goodwill store. Kate looked at him, confused.

"Why are we at Goodwill?" she asked.

"Promise not to interrupt me or ask any questions until I'm done explaining?" Castle asked. Kate nodded her agreement.

"Okay," he started. "I paid a visit to your old apartment yesterday and met your landlord." Kate's eyes grew larger, but she didn't speak. "I asked him what he'd done with all of the things you left in the apartment, and he told me he had taken them to this Goodwill. He said he'd rather get the tax deduction for donating all of it than just throw it all away."

"So here's what we're going to do," he continued. "We're going to go in, and you're going to pick out everything that's yours, and I'll buy it back for you, on one condition."

"What's that?" Kate asked quietly.

"That for everything we buy, you tell me the story of how you got it," Castle answered. "I'm a writer. I like stories." He grinned.

"Castle…" Kate sighed. "I appreciate it, but I feel so bad that you keep buying things for me, and I can't pay you back."

"You can, though, Kate," he said. "I've been really blocked in writing lately, and I need some new ideas. Sometimes I can get great ideas just through little stories," he continued. Okay, so that wasn't true—plenty of ideas were swirling through his brain. He just hadn't had time to write them down. But extra ideas wouldn't hurt. Besides, he wanted to get to know Kate better, and this would be a great way to do just that.

Kate stared at him for a moment, her gaze finally softening. She took a step toward him and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. "Thank you, Rick," she whispered.

Rick. She had finally called him Rick.

"…and that was a souvenir my friend Madison gave me when she went to Niagara Falls. Oh my gosh! No way! Look at this!" Kate had been running excitedly from aisle to aisle for the past fifteen minutes, talking a mile a minute. She had just picked up a stuffed elephant, and she gave it an affectionate squeeze. "My mom gave me this for my seventh birthday. Elephants were her favorite," she said, placing the elephant in the basket.

"So those elephants you have on your desk—were they hers?" Rick asked. Kate froze, as though his question had caught her off guard.

"Yeah," she answered quietly, head lowered. "They were her favorites." She raised her head, eyes looking into his. "Castle, I…" she started as her gaze shifted behind him. "Wait, is that what I think it is?" Her eyes focused on an object behind him, and she slipped past him on her way to rescue another treasure.

Castle sighed. Just like that, the moment was gone. He followed her, eager to hear about the newest trinket, but wishing he knew what she'd been thinking in the moments before she found it.

Kate had found the store's book section, and he met her at a bookshelf, smiling as she began to eagerly pull books from their resting places. "My books, Castle! They're all here!" she said happily. "Look, see how I wrote my name in each of them?" She opened the book she was holding, showing him her signature. "Wanna help me find all of them?"

Castle agreed, beginning to systematically open book after book, re-shelving those without Kate's name in them. The girl had a lot of books—no wonder she'd been so awe-stricken when she saw his library. Suddenly, a familiar-looking book caught his eye, and he moved toward it.

"Hey, this book's mine," he said, holding it up. "Hell Hath No Fury. Not one of my better works, I'll admit," he continued, opening the cover. "Looks like someone else thought so, too, and sent it to Goodwill. Oh, wait a second."

He'd fully opened the cover by now, shocked to find familiar handwriting decorating the title page. "'From the library of Katherine Beckett,'" he read, watching as Kate's face blanched. "This was yours, Kate?" he asked, surprised. "I thought you said you'd never read my books."

"I'm so sorry, Castle," she said quietly. "I lied, because I thought that if you knew I was a fan, you'd… you might…" She sighed. "I was afraid that you'd treat me like just another fan, especially if you knew that you were my favorite author. Because you are. But I didn't know you," she quickly added. "I mean, not like I do now. I know you'd never do that. But I was scared, so I lied, and I…"

Castle gently placed two fingers over Kate's mouth, silencing her. "It's okay," he said gently. "I understand." He removed his fingers from her lips.

"So you're not mad?" she asked hesitantly.

"Not at all," he responded. "You know, I probably would have done the same thing." Her face visibly softened, and she exhaled, the tension leaving her shoulders. He placed the book in the cart, then gently picked up one of Kate's hands, enclosing it between both of his.

"And may I just say how honored I am to have such a wonderful, dedicated fan as you living at my house," he said, bowing his head slightly toward her.

"The honor is all mine," she returned, grinning.

An hour later, they exited Goodwill, boxes and bags filled with so many items that they had to take separate cabs home in order to transport it all. Although Kate hadn't found all of her old things, she now had over three-fourths of her old clothes, numerous trinkets and treasures, including her nonna's favorite skillet, a couple of throw pillows, and, of course, her books. A few of her furniture items had been in the store, too, and Castle insisted on purchasing them as well. He had a storage unit that he said he could put them in until she was able to get her own place.

At this point, though, she wasn't even sure if she wanted her own place. Living with Castle just kept getting better and better.

Author's note: My aunt is a judge, so I'm able to picture very clearly in my head what the judge's area looks like. For those of you who cannot, imagine that each judge has their own suite. Inside of each suite is a lobby area, with the judge's secretary. Branching off from the lobby, down a hallway, are the judge's office, the court reporter's office, and the bailiff's office. So it's a little suite with several offices inside.

Thank you all so much for reading and for sticking with me thus far! You're all amazing (especially you, Cathey- this story would be pretty lame without your help), and I can't wait to read everyone's reviews.