A/N - Thanks so much for all the followers of this fic...its been kicking around in my head for awhile and I think I am stuck with it! Thanks again for everyone who has put this story on their favourites list or story Alert!
Kate rolled over in bed, her hand knocking over the offensive alarm clock. "Crap," she muttered as it hit the floor and turned off. The following week had been painful; in every possible way. Cole had somehow reluctantly agreed to continue staying with Kate, so long as no one called child services on her. Though there was barely more than a handful of words ever spoken between the two of them.
The case had come to almost a complete stop as well. They had never been able to locate Cole's friend Dominic, and Kate couldn't help wondering if her new roommate didn't have one of her tiny little hands in that.
"Cole! You up?" Kate hollered down the hall. Her only response was the sound of the bedroom door slamming shut.
"Guess that's a yes," Kate thought back to the previous day. Cole had shown up at the precinct after school as she had taken to doing every day. Instead of saying hello, or even acknowledging Kate's presence, she had just disappeared into the break room. Only minutes later, Kate had looked up from her paperwork to ask Castle a question and noticed that he was missing. When she had gone searching for her writer; her writer - she wasn't quite sure when he had become her writer, probably around the time she had succumbed to being considered his muse.
She'd found him seated on the old sofa in the break room beside Cole. They were talking about something quietly and Cole had the biggest grin Kate had ever seen on the girl. Kate had frozen in the doorway, making sure to keep herself unseen by the two of them. For a moment she felt sad that nothing she had been able to do over the past week had made the girl smile. Then she realized how selfish that was and shook the feelings away.
Castle had felt Kate's presence the moment she'd appeared in the doorway. For the first couple minutes he ignored it as best he could. No one could fully ignore Kate Beckett.
"I'll be back kiddo," he had ruffled her hair and then peeled himself off the couch. He whisked himself out the door, grabbing Kate and pulling her along with him.
His hands found purchase on her hips as he moved them out of the doorway and into the small hall way on the opposite side. He was in a good mood. Alexis had decided to stay in town for her full final year of school. Kate had been calling him Rick more and more; and it seemed he had cracked the code to a gleeful Cole Phillips. Yes, he was in a good mood.
"What has gotten into you?" Kate had to fight the smile that was itching to light her face.
"I'm having a good day Detective; a very good day." She had smiled back at him then and for the first time since he'd pulled her into the hall they took notice of just how close they were standing. Castle cleared his throat and took a step back. Kate couldn't seem to drop the smile. Deciding it might be fun to toy with him a little bit, she grabbed the lapels of his jacket and efficiently stepped back into his space.
"It's nice to see you like this," she smiled again then took her time as she leaned in and planted a kiss on the corner of his lips. Her body was flush against his and for a second she forgot she was playing with him and felt quite tempted to maybe steel a real kiss. Just as quickly as the urge appeared her fear of change made a play of dominance and she stepped back.
The complete sense of loss that came with stepping away from Richard Castle had left her speechless. Lying in bed that morning she could still feel the remnants of walking away from him. She couldn't help wondering when she had become so attached to the man.
Her phone went off on the bedside table and she scrambled to answer it, "Beckett," she huffed into the receiver.
"You're girl's boy is sitting in interrogation as we speak," Esposito's voice filled the line.
"Wow, I have been awake for less than a minute and already I'm having the best day ever," Kate exclaimed with false excitement.
"I'll be in as soon as...actually do you think you and Ryan could handle this?"
"What?" Esposito sputtered the word not fully believing what he was hearing.
"If I bring Cole into the precinct while he's there it's only going to be a big scene. Besides we shouldn't let him know that she is even with us." There was a pause on the other line, as if Esposito was determining whether Kate had lost her mind.
"Sure," he finally responded and the line disconnected.
Kate tossed her phone beside her on the bed and then pulled herself from the covers. She showered quickly and got dressed. Not even 10 seconds after having left her room, Cole was blocking her path.
"So am I like, moving in?" Kate was shocked into silence. She hadn't figured out the answer to that question yet herself.
"I," but she couldn't answer her because she really didn't know.
"That's what I thought; maybe you should call social services today. I may as well get used to my new living arrangements." Cole didn't even give Kate a second to reply before she grabbed her bag.
"I'll take the train to school, unless you have an issue with that?" Cole paused at the front door but Kate's voice still hadn't returned to her.
CBCB
She should have known that the Detective wasn't planning on keeping her around. Cole slammed her locker shut and began the trek to her first class. Realistically Kate didn't know her, she had done a nice thing for lost kid but there were no ties there. No obligations. It had been stupid for Cole to get comfortable at the Detective's apartment, even more stupid to hope that the arrangement might become permanent.
She looked down at her watch and sighed. Life had dealt her her hand and it was time she started playing it. Alone.
Cole took one look at the classroom filled with people who had never really cared about her. Sure Kari had been an ok friend, but instead of calling to see how she was after her mother's murder, all of her friends had been warned by their parents to stay away. Fear ruled the world; Cole understood that, she'd witnessed it in her mother every day of her life. Parents were scared, scared that if their children spent time with Cole they were in direct line of danger.
Even Dom, the one person she had been able to trust had disappeared on her. She'd sent him a text as soon as she had been able to wrap her mind around the idea of him as a suspect in her mother's murder. He hadn't even responded, but she knew that he'd received it because none of the detective's had been able to find him.
She walked back to her locker as quickly as possible. She needed to be out of the school before all of the students had made it to their classes or someone would notice her.
Minutes later she was across the street staring back at the middle school she was thrilled to be done with. Her mother was dead, her friends wanted nothing to do with her, and Dom had disappeared. New York City held nothing for her anymore. What would be the point in staying?
She wondered vaguely if Detective Beckett might miss her, it bothered her to know that she would miss the detective. Especially considering she they didn't even really know each other.
Five minutes later she had a plan, and she was putting it into motion.
CBCB
The kid was big which she found surprising. Sure she had seen his picture but knowing that he was a friend of Cole, for some reason she'd thought he would be smaller.
"Did he say anything?" Kate asked as she shrugged out of her jacket. After Cole's disappearance she had managed to pull herself together enough to make a quick breakfast and head out the door. Part of her had been hoping she would now be able to make it in time to interrogate the little brat, but she walked in a moment too late.
"He did actually. Turns out the kid really does care about Cole." Ryan began, "Thing was he also cared about her mother," Esposito finished.
"What did you find out," Kate asked, settling into her desk.
"Turns out he met Cole when she was 5 just like he said. He was 12 at the time but she reminded him of his younger sister who had died from Cancer. He says he kind of inherited her, decided to look after her." Esposito was flipping through his notes as Ryan told the story.
"Cole's mom started flirting with him just after he turned fifteen. At first he thought it was a joke but she was apparently pretty persuasive and he was 15. It didn't take him long to give in to her. They've been having an affair for the last three years."
"Cole obviously had no idea," Kate answered.
"Kid says that they were together that night but her pimp showed up started breaking things and freaking out. Since the bakery Cole worked at was just down stairs he was freaked Cole would hear something and come up, so he beat it."
"What a knight in shining armour," Kate sighed.
"KATE," Castle came running up to them his phone in his hand.
"Have you seen Cole?" He was out of breath and if fear hadn't been consuming her since he had spoken those words, she would have commented on how cute he was.
"She stormed out of the apartment this morning, said she was going to school. Why,"
"Her school called, she never showed up." Kate was instantly putting her jacket back on.
"She's going to run. We need to get a uniform at every bus and train station this side of town." She could feel panic, rising within her. How long had Cole had on her own. How far could she have gotten? Her mind was racing with possibilities so much that she couldn't get her body to move. Suddenly she knew the answer to the question Cole had asked that morning so clearly that she couldn't believe she had been stumped by it.
Her eyes met Castles, "We have to find her," Kate was ready to move, ready to get out there but she was stopped by the sound of her full name.
"Ms Katherine Beckett," all four of them turned towards a young woman in a business suit.
"Tina Mooney, Child services," Just great, thought Kate. This was really shaping up to be one hell of a day.
"Check with Dominic, Castle would you go back to my place. Just in case," Kate delegated, the two detectives and the writer jumped into motion. Castle fixed Kate with a look that said play it cool before taking off.
"Am I right in assuming that you currently have a Cole Phillips in your care? You notified Child services last week?" Kate inhaled a sharp breath, desperately attempting to control her emotions. Then she motioned to Castle's chair and sat down with the woman.
"This is just a standard follow up meeting, you're not a registered foster parent and since the original call there has been no other information. Are you planning on continuing the current arrangement with Miss Phillips?"
A/N – thanks for reading, I'd love to hear what people think... :)
