A/N: You guys are awesome. I am so glad that you're enjoying this as much as I am. Really. Thank you so much.

Disclaimer: Castle is obviously not mine.

Hiding my Heart

Chapter 3

"So let me get this straight."

"Em…" Kate sighed and rolled her eyes, preparing herself for the inquisition she was sure was about to happen.

Emily took a bite out of the croissant and munched on it thoughtfully. It was the following morning and Kate had met her sister at a French Café near the NYU campus as it was tradition for them. Ever since Emily had started college, they would meet every Sunday for brunch to catch up. Sometimes, it was the only chance they had to see each other during the week.

"That guy, who was pretty hot, by the way," She added with a smirk. "is Richard Castle?"

"Yes. You should be a detective." Kate said wryly and Emily stuck her tongue out at her.

"Richard Castle, as in the guy who writes those mystery books you can't seem to live without." She licked the chocolate off her finger, clearly not caring about manners, Kate thought to herself. "Richard Castle, who you absolutely worship the very existence of for writing said books, is the guy who was all over you last night."

"I do not worship his existence." Kate hissed indignantly. Emily rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please, Katie. You're a total fangirl when it comes to this guy." She teased, taking a sip of her coffee. "Don't even try to deny it."

"I am not a fangirl, Emily. I just happen to enjoy his books a lot. That's all." Kate defended herself, but could feel a faint blush creeping up her neck guiltily.

"Fine, whatever, you're not. That's not the point." Emily dismissed her sister's claims with a wave of her hand. "The big question here is how on earth do you know him? I mean, it didn't seem like you had just met last night when I interrupted you guys. Sorry about that, by the way." She rattled off and Kate sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to escape this one.

"We met a few days ago at Central Park. His son nearly ran me over." Kate said, leaning back on her chair, and cradled her coffee mug with both hands to keep them occupied.

"Oh, so he has a kid. The plot thickens." She winked at her and Kate chuckled.

"Shut up, bug. Do you want me to tell you the story or not?"

"Please, do tell." Emily leaned forward and rested her chin on her hands. "I'm all ears."

"It's not much of a story, really. His son bumped into me when I went for a run. It started snowing and he invited me along to get a cup of coffee, since he was already taking the kids to get some hot chocolate. We were stuck in the café for a while and got to talking. And then I bumped into him last night at the club. The end."

"Oh, no. Definitely not 'the end', Katherine Beckett. Don't think I didn't see you and him on the dance floor ready to get down and dirty." She smirked and took another sip of her coffee. "So how did you guys go from having coffee with the kids to having eye sex at the club last night?"

"You're impossible." Kate glared at her sister, who kept looking at her expectantly, completely unfazed. "I don't know, Em. We didn't see each other after that morning until last night. I don't know what happened. There just seems to be this… thing, I guess, between us. I don't know how to explain." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Hm… that's interesting." Emily sat back in her chair and mimicked her sister, holding her own coffee mug.

"What?"

"Nothing, just… maybe this is what love at first sight is all about." Emily shrugged and she laughed. "What, you never know. Maybe he's your soul mate or something."

"Oh, bug, you're too romantic for your own good." Kate said, still chuckling.

"Well, are you going to see him again?" Emily asked, finishing off the last of her croissant.

"Yeah," Kate bit her lip to keep a smile at bay. "We're supposed to get together sometime this week. It depends on work and if he can get someone to watch the kids."

"Whoa, wait. Kids? As in, plural?" She looked at Kate, eyes wide, after nearly choking on her food.

"Twins."

"Holy shit, Katie." She cursed, taking a long sip of her coffee. "Twins? Oh, man."

"They're great kids, really." Kate shrugged nonchalantly while Emily stared at her like she had grown a second head.

"Two boys?"

"A boy and a girl, actually. Jamie and Alexis." She said, smiling at the memory of the time she had spent with the kids on Monday. Jamie had drawn her a picture, which had just made Alexis do one as well. In the end, she went home with two different drawings from each kid. She kept them inside the current book she was reading to mark the place she had stopped.

"You know, normally you'd be running for the hills if a guy you had the hots for had a kid. Now the guy has freaking twins and you're sitting here like you basically don't care." Emily mused and Kate rolled her eyes. "Mark my words, Katie. I think this guy is going to be really good for you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." Kate asked for the check and turned back to her sister. "We haven't even been on a date yet, Em. Don't go picking out our china just yet, okay?"

"When it finally happens, I'm going to really enjoy telling you I told you so." She threw a twenty dollar bill on the table, along with Kate's share. "Come on, big sis. What are our plans for today?"

"I can't believe I'm letting you drag me to a kid's movie, bug." Kate complained as they approached the movie theater. Emily had looped her arm through hers and was leading her sister to the ticket booth.

"Oh, come on, Katie. This is just something to distract our minds for a little while. I promise you'll like it. It's a really cute story." She encouraged when they got in line and Kate turned to look at her surprised.

"Wait, you've seen this already?" She asked and Emily shrugged. "Emily."

"Okay, so I went out with Peter last week and we watched this movie. Or part of it, at least." She said sheepishly, biting her lip, and Kate groaned. "But from what I did see, it was cute. And I want to pay attention this time. Come on, when have I ever steered you wrong?"

"I don't think we have time to list everything." Kate narrowed her eyes at her sister, who elbowed her lightly on her side. "Fine, whatever. Next time, I get to pick the movie."

They had been out all day, strolling through the streets of New York, catching up on each other's lives. Kate found out Emily was seeing a new guy, Peter Williams, and was very excited about it. Apparently they took biochemistry together and, after two semesters, he had finally asked her out. Kate was happy about her sister, even more so that she was able to have a normal college life, as opposed to what she had back when she was in college. When she thought back to her college days, she couldn't even remember much of the pre-murder days. She had gone to Stanford for her freshman year and her parents had been murdered during the summer before her sophomore year, when she had been home visiting. After that, she transferred to NYU so she could stay with Emily.

It had been so hard at first, juggling college and taking care of a kid – a grieving kid, no less – and deal with her own pain. She had seen a therapist for years after their parents' deaths and she still went from time to time now when things got too difficult and she needed to vent. After everything that had happened, she had closed up completely and, even though she tried really hard to open up to people, she still found that almost impossible to do. Lanie was one of the few people she had allowed to get closer to her and even so, she still didn't share a hell of a lot with her. Emily had been her rock throughout those years, but she still didn't tell her much. How could she unload all her fears and insecurities on a kid? Even now, that Emily was all grown up, she still kept herself locked inside her own protective shell.

"Come on, Katie." She dragged her to the snack bar after purchasing the tickets. "Can we get candy too?" She asked when they stopped at the counter, checking the options in front of them.

"How old are you again, bug?" Kate teased her and ordered a big popcorn combo with two sodas, along with a chocolate bar, after Emily stuck her tongue out jokingly. "There, happy, you big child?"

"Yes, thank you very much, sister dearest." She smirked and balanced their snacks while Kate paid for them. "Alright, let's go." She said after the kid gave her sister the receipt. "You know, you could give me a hand here." Emily complained and Kate was about to respond when she heard someone calling her name.

"It's Ms. Beckett. Daddy, look." Kate turned around when she heard her name and saw a red haired boy running in her direction. "Hi, Ms. Beckett." He smiled his partially toothless grin up at her and Kate couldn't help but smile back.

"Hi, Jamie. How are you doing?" She pushed his hair away from his eyes and looked up to see Rick walking towards her with Alexis.

"I'm good. How are you?" He asked happily and Kate saw Emily watching the interaction between her and Jamie closely.

"I'm very good, sweetie. What are you going to watch?" She asked, looking back down at him, acutely aware that Rick was getting closer and closer. Biting her lip, she tried to think of what to do. He had texted her this morning just to say hi and they had agreed to see each other sometime this week, but she wasn't expecting to see him so soon after last night.

"Rio."

"Really? So are we." Emily chimed in and Jamie turned his attention to her.

"My friend Ryan from school said it's really fun. So we convinced Daddy to bring us to see it." He explained and Kate nodded with a small smile. The boy was entirely too cute for his own good.

"You mean you pestered me until I said yes, right, Jamie?" Kate heard his voice and looked up, an involuntary smile already tugging at her lips. "Hi." He smiled at her, eyes sparkling when he stopped in front of her.

"We have to stop meeting like this, Mr. Castle." She teased him, making his smile only grow. "Hi, Alexis." She smiled down at the girl, who gave her a shy one back and waved hello. "Em, you remember Rick." She brought her sister into the conversation, knowing that Emily was watching everything with an avid interest.

"Yes, I remember, absolutely." Emily grinned at her and Kate glared warningly at her. "How are you doing, Rick?" She looked knowingly from her sister to him and Kate felt like hitting her on the back of the head to knock it off.

"Hi, Emily. Did you have a good birthday yesterday?" He said nicely and Kate thanked her stars that he was just playing along. Emily nodded and turned back to grin at her.

"And these are Jamie and Alexis. Guys, this is my little sister Emily." She introduced them and the kids smiled up at her, saying it was nice to meet her.

"Are you a detective like Ms. Beckett?" Jamie asked curiously and Kate watched as he quickly fell into conversation with her sister as they made their way inside the viewing room. The kid really was the most social little boy she had ever met.

"So… hi." She bit her lip and turned to Rick. He grabbed Alexis' hand and started walking with her.

"Hi, yourself." He gave her a small smile and touched the small of her back as they followed Jamie and Emily. "I can't believe we just met again randomly." He chuckled and she nodded in agreement.

"I know. It's getting kind of creepy." Kate joked and he laughed. She could still feel his warm hand on her back through her jacket and it was giving all kinds of good butterflies. She felt ridiculous.

"It's good, though, right?" He held her eyes with his and she nodded. "At least we didn't have to wait an entire week to see each other again." His thumb caressed her lightly and Kate was suddenly aware that his hand had sneakily made its way under her jacket as she felt his touch through her shirt.

"Yeah, I guess it is." She replied, having a hard time to think of what to say when he was touching her, however innocent that touch was.

"I just never pegged you for a kid's movie kind of girl." He grinned at her teasingly and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not. Well, not usually, anyway. It was Emily's turn to pick the movie and this is what she wanted to watch." She explained with a shrug and he nodded.

"Well, it's just one more thing I'll have to thank her for. Last night, today. I think she just might be an undercover matchmaker." He winked at her and she laughed, shaking her head in amusement.

"Are you always like this?" She asked with a laugh and he looked at her innocently.

"Like what?"

"I think charmer is a good word to describe it." She looked at him and found him looking back at her with a teasing smile.

"Depends. Is it working?" He watched her expectantly, lifting an eyebrow and she bit her lip, choosing her answer carefully.

"I'll get back to you on that." She finally said after a moment and he nodded.

"Fair enough, Detective." He conceded as they entered the room their movie was playing in. "Are you sitting with us?" He asked when Alexis took off to where Jamie and Emily were a few feet ahead of them.

"Sure, why not." She said and he smiled, guiding her to a row in the middle of the room. "Is this okay for everyone?" She asked when the kids were settled in.

She had ended up in the middle, with Emily on her right and Rick and the kids on her left. The movie started a few minutes after they got there and soon popcorn and candy were being passed from hand to hand between all of them. Kate tried her best to pay attention to the movie, but the fact that he was sitting so close to her – their arms touching on the arm rest and hands brushing whenever they reached for the popcorn together – was a huge distraction. Halfway through the movie, when the popcorn was over and their arms and shoulders were touching, she felt him slowly slip his hand into hers. Turning to look at him, she lifted an eyebrow questioningly, but he just shrugged and entwined their fingers, his thumb caressing the back of her hand lightly. She shook her head, thinking he was impossible, and told herself to relax. She had already been leaning against his side, however involuntarily it had been, so she thought she might as well enjoy their proximity. A few minutes later, she found herself resting her head on his shoulder, letting out a yawn. He squeezed her hand gently and she felt him place a kiss on her hair.

Feeling completely relaxed and content, she thought to herself that maybe whatever this was between them might turn out to be a good thing. After all, they still hadn't even been on a date, and yet she felt safe and had this sense of comfort whenever she was with him. Maybe that meant something.

Maybe, just maybe, Emily could be right.

But then again, that was a completely ridiculous thought. They were not soul mates and this was definitely not love at first sight because such things did not exist. Regardless, she would enjoy it while it lasted.

If she found it in herself the strength to actually let him in.

They stayed like this for the rest of the movie, hands together, fingers entangled and gentle caresses from time to time. She was comfortable like this and she knew they wouldn't be doing anything else there, not with the kids and her sister around. Not that Emily hadn't encouraged her; when she reached for her soda, Emily elbowed her and whispered "kiss him already" in her ear, to which Kate pinched her arm and narrowed her eyes at her. She knew her sister meant well, but she would not make out with Rick Castle in front of his children and her sister for Christ's sake. Not that she didn't want to. She did, very badly, in fact. But she also wanted to do things right, in their own time.

When the movie ended, Emily volunteered to take the kids to the bathroom and Kate chuckled at her sister's obvious attempt of giving her some alone time with Rick. When Emily disappeared into the crowd with Jamie and Alexis – who had taken quite a shine to her – she turned to look at him. He was leaning against the wall and she fought the urge to just step in closer and relax into his body, much like she had done the night before at the club. What the hell was going on with her? Every time she was near him, her senses and hormones seemed to go haywire.

"So, should we count this impromptu meeting as a first date?" He asked quietly, touching her hip, like he had grown so fond of doing lately.

"With your kids and my little sister tagging along? Really?" She laughed and he nodded, pulling her closer. She was trying to figure out why her defenses were never automatically engaged whenever he touched her. Instead, every time he did, she just seemed to relax.

"Touché." He conceded, resting his chin on her shoulder. She was wearing a pair of flat boots, which made her a few inches shorter than him. "So when do I get to take you out? In a real date with no tag alongs."

"You know my work hours are a little crazy, right?" She looked up at him and found his lips entirely too close to hers, which made her suck in a deep, calming breath to control the urge to close the distance between them. "Maybe Friday?" She suggested, looking ahead of her again in order to resist the temptation to kiss him.

"It's a date." He casually wrapped his arms around her waist and Kate involuntarily relaxed against him. "I'm going to be honest with you, Kate. I'm having a really hard time here trying not to kiss you right now." He whispered in her ear and she felt a shiver run through her body at his voice and lips so close to her ear.

"Good, that makes two of us." She leaned her head back on his shoulder and felt him let out a sigh at her words. Covering his hands that were resting on her stomach with hers, she allowed herself to have this moment of peace and contentment that he seemed to bring to her.

"I don't know what it is, but I like being around you. I really, really do." He said quietly and she sighed contently. It had been quite a while since a guy made her feel like this. In fact, now that she really thought about it, she didn't think that she had ever felt this way before. And it had nothing to do with the fact that she was secretly a fan of his work. That was exactly it. She liked his books, but this thing she was feeling right now was because of the man behind the words and not his work.

"I like being around you too." She whispered back turned in his arms without thinking, suddenly finding herself face to face with him. Before she could throw caution to the wind and kiss him senseless like she desperately wanted to, she heard her sister coming back with Alexis and Jamie. "Friday night, then?" She said quietly before they reached them and he nodded, leaning down to kiss the corner of her mouth. Kate closed her eyes for a moment. "I'll let you know if something comes up, but I should be on call then. Let's hope the murderers in this town take the night off." She said with a grin and felt his chuckle reverberate from his chest into hers. He leaned in and kissed the same spot one more time.

"I can't wait, Kate." He gave her that smile that she was growing to love; it seemed so unique and warm and just endeared him to her even more. She bit her lip and nodded, before stepping away.

"We're all done, aren't we, guys?" She heard Emily's voice and forced herself to turn around. Her sister was holding both kids' hands as Jamie and Alexis started telling a story about something they had just seen. Alexis seemed a lot more comfortable and less shy with Emily.

"Alright, I should take them home. It's getting late." Rick said and thanked Emily for taking the kids to the bathroom.

"Hey, it was no trouble. They're awesome." She said with a smile. "It was great seeing you again, Rick."

"You too. And thanks, by the way." He winked at her and she laughed. Kate thought they were both ridiculous as she crouched down to say goodbye to Jamie and Alexis.

But deep down, she was grateful for her sister's matchmaking attempts too.

After dropping Emily off at her dorm at the NYU campus, Kate drove back to her apartment. It was still early, not even 8pm, when she unlocked her front door and let herself in. With plans to order in some Chinese, she stepped over the manila envelope on the floor, not even giving it a second glance as she took off her jacket and shoes and let herself fall on the couch to relax.

A/N: Thoughts?