TWO

"Good afternoon, Kate."

The detective almost startled when she was greeted barely inside the door to Starbucks. Looking to her left she saw Rick, the barista, dressed in his traditional outfit of a green baseball cap and matching apron. In his hand he held a rag and he appeared to be in the process of wiping down tables. "Hi." She returned. "I don't usually see you in the afternoons."

He shrugged. "Picked up an extra shift. Your usual?"

"Um, yes. Please."

He nodded to her and then hurried back around the counter with rag in hand. As he washed his hands before preparing her drink, she stepped up to the register and handed over her debit card. Then, after paying, she gazed around the café patiently while waiting for her drink. At the three p.m. hour the café was about one third full of patrons, all of whom had laptops propped up in front of them. She presumed many of them to be students getting ready for the final weeks of school that semester; thank god she no longer had to deal with that.

Kate casually made her way to the pickup counter and watched Rick finish off her drink. In the month since the spilled coffee incident she felt that they had become reasonable closer—or as close as one could become to their barista. In addition to morning greetings, they usually made one or two other comments to each other about superficial things like the weather or sports, since they both turned out to be Mets fans. Though the conversations were far from intimate, Kate found herself increasingly more disappointed on the mornings she did not face his ever-present smile.

Instead of passing her cup across the pickup counter, Kate watched as Rick walked back around to the seating area to give it to her. She presumed this was because he was going to continue cleaning up the tables, except he did not have his rag with him—only her cup. Not thinking much of it, she reached out for the drink, thanked him, and then turned back to the counter to reach for a napkin. When she turned back towards the exit, he remained in front of her looking slightly uneasy.

"Um…I just…I was wondering…." He began, wiping his hands against his apron a few times before looking up at her. "I don't want to, um, make things weird or anything, but I was wondering if maybe you wanted to get coffee some time. I mean someplace else. Not here, where I work. But, like, if I would meet you for coffee somewhere and we could, uh, talk."

Kate's brow furrowed at his stammer-filled, rambling statement. "Are you…asking me on a date?"

The man's face flushed instantly and the tips of his ears took on a reddish hue. "Um, kind of—wait. No." He briefly shut his eyes, shook his head, and then gazed at her steadily as though he had just reset his brain. "Yes, I am asking you on a date. How about Saturday?"

Kate couldn't help but smile. He was so nervous about asking her out! It was rather adorable and completely unexpected. Apparently Lanie was correct when she assessed that Rick came to her aide so quickly when the coffee spilled on her because he liked her. He, unfortunately, had bad timing. "I'm sorry; I can't."

Rick's expression immediately turned to one that reminded her of a puppy's if he had just been smacked on the nose for soiling the rug. "It's fine; just forget it."

Her heart clenched in her chest; she never meant to make him feel bad! Quickly, she tried to clarify the situation. "No, it's—I mean, I already have a commitment Saturday. The NYPD is sponsoring a 5K for suicide awareness and prevention. But, um, you could come with me if you want."

She wasn't asking him out—she really wasn't. The event was for charity and awareness so the more attendees they had, the more awareness they would receive. And, who knew? Maybe she would learn a bit more about her mysterious blue-eyed barista.

The man's brow wrinkled. "I'm not much of a runner."

Kate shook her head. "It's a run-walk. We could walk together; no big deal."

He nodded, though tentatively. "Um, is there, like, an entry fee or something?"

Again, she shook her head. "Don't worry about that—you can walk on the Twelfth's team, but you'll have to wear one of our shirts; is that okay?"

"I think I can handle that."

She nodded at his smile before grazing her eyes over his shoulders and torso, mentally figuring. "Size large? Extra-large?"

"Extra-large to be safe. Are…are you…a police officer?"

"Detective." She replied, studying his face curiously. He asked the question as though one would say, "Are you a murderer?" which made the back of her neck prickle slightly. Generally, only criminals were set on edge by law enforcement. As he had been steadily employed at that Starbucks for nine months, she very much doubted he was a hardened felon, but it still made her curious.

He shook his head. "I didn't know."

She nodded. "Well now you do. Nine fifteen Saturday morning? Outside the Twelfth Precinct; we're all meeting there."

He gave her a nod. "Then I'll be there. Thanks Kate."

"Thank you for participating." She returned. Then, after saluting him with her cup, she turned towards the exit, off to start her day.

On the morning of the 5K, Kate stood outside her place of employment casually grazing her eyes over the sidewalk waiting for her barista friend to arrive. Friend—right. But was he even that? Acquaintance seemed more appropriate and even that may have been a stretch. She barely knew anything about the man other than his first name, but they were about to walk three miles together. Maybe she'd learn more. The one thing she definitely wanted to learn was why he seemed to be startled when he found out she was in law enforcement.

Kate tucked her thumbs in and out of the thumbholes on her running jacket as a nervous habit while waiting. The morning was not terribly cool, and had she been running the calf-length leggings and t-shirt would have definitely been sufficient, but as she was walking she figured the extra layer was warranted. It was still only April; fortunately they still had a few more crisp weekend mornings left before the heat of summer set in.

At ten past the hour Kate spotted Rick approaching and she lifted her arm to wave to him. He nodded in acknowledgement and their eyes met briefly.

Huh. She had not previously seen him out of his uniform, which included a green baseball cap, and now that she had she realized there was something familiar about his floppy brown hair and the bright blue of his eyes beneath his brow line. Very familiar. She was almost positive she had seen him other than at Starbucks…but where?

The first thing that jumped to her mind was a case. Was he a witness? Or—oh dear—a suspect? If he had been a suspect in the past it would explain his strange reaction to her profession. Perhaps he had some unfavorable brushes with the law. Perhaps he—no. No. She would give him the benefit of the doubt. Not everyone she interacted with as a criminal; she just happened to come across more than her fair share because of her job. Perhaps he had been a victim and because of a loophole his aggressor was not brought to justice; that could reasonably give him a negative attitude towards the police. If that was the case, she would happily show him that there were still many cops—herself included—working for the good of the victims.

"Hey. Good morning." She greeted him with a smile when he stepped up in front of her.

He nodded in her direction. "Good morning. I almost brought coffee but I thought that might be too cliché."

She chuckled lightly. "Don't worry about it. I would think you'd want to be away from all things coffee when you're not working."

"Nah. I don't mind."

She stopped towards the building and waved him along. "C'mon. Your shirt's inside; let's grab it before we head out to the start line."

The man followed her inside and she walked through the crowd of people towards the intake desk, where she'd left her water bottle and Rick's bright yellow Twelfth precinct t-shirt. She also wore a similar one, but it was beneath her jacket. She passed over the shirt and he pulled it on overtop his navy long sleeve shirt.

As they headed out the door, they ran into Kate's colleague, Detective Kevin Ryan, and Kate did the instructions, calling the barista her friend, Rick. Unlike her friend Lanie would have, Ryan did not give her a suspicious sideways glance or obnoxiously elbow her in the ribs. He merely shook Rick's hand and moved out onto the sidewalk with the rest of the crowd.

"So, um, how long have you been a cop?"

"About four years; I went to the academy right out of college and I've been a detective for almost a year now." She explained.

He bobbed his head. "Impressive."

It was, particularly considering she was the youngest female to do so, but she didn't want to toot her own horn in that way. Instead, she decided to use the fact that he broached the subject to delicately ask the question she'd been meaning to. "You, um, seemed a bit concerned when you realized I was a cop. The other day, I mean."

"Oh no. Not at all. I think I was just confused because I'd never seen you in uniform, but-"

"Detectives don't wear uniforms—except during special events or ceremonies."

"Right." He nodded. "And in case you're wondering—I've never been arrested. You probably don't want to be friends with anyone that has."

Kate let out a small laugh. She actually had never even thought of that, but since he brought the subject up, she supposed she wouldn't exactly mind depending on the crime and when it took place. If she found out one of her friends committed a petty theft when they were in their early teens, she could not rightfully hold it against them if they were an upstanding citizen as an adult. However, if they had committed any crimes in the recent past, that would have been something to seriously consider.

"You know I never thought about it…maybe, maybe not. Probably not if they'd been convicted of a felony for sure, but you know I wouldn't be able to find out—I don't even know your last name," she said as she glanced over at him with a sweet smile. It was a rather direct way of finding out that detail, but smooth enough to work (or so she hoped).

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "It's Castle; Rick Castle."

"Detective Kate Beckett." She responded, realizing she had not given her last name either.

"It's nice to meet you, Kate Beckett." He held out his hand and just as the crowd slowed down when they neared the starting line for the 5K, Kate slipped hers into it and gave it a hearty shake.

"So…do you have any siblings?"

They were about two K's into the race and the pack of participants was finally starting to loosen up enough that Kate and Rick could walk casually side by side without being jostled together. They had been mostly silent other than making comments on their fellow racers—like the dog wearing sunglasses in addition to a race t-shirt—and she thought asking about siblings was a decent enough way to break the ice and get to know each other slightly better.

"Oh. No."

His answer was clipped but she maintained a light air with her voice. "Me neither. Did you mind it growing up?"

He shook his head. "No, it was fine."

"Same. I guess it would have been okay to have one or two siblings—a slightly bigger family—but I kind of liked it just the three of us."

The man beside her said nothing for the next five minutes. In fact, he noticeably drifted further away from her as they continued their walk. Now, another person could have almost comfortably fit between them. He also walked with his arms folded over her chest.

Kate recognized the closed off gesture as it was one of her signature moves. If anyone—an unfamiliar male, especially—drifted too close to a subject she was not comfortable speaking about she erected the extra layer of armor on her walls and immediately changed the subject. Realizing she triggered something for him, but not knowing what, Kate decided the best thing to do was to apologize, as she would have often liked others to pay her the same courtesy.

"Sorry if I upset you by asking about your family."

Rick looked over at her, almost startled at her words, as though he had been deep in thought. "Wha—no. Oh, no. No—you're perfect—fine, I mean fine." He corrected quickly, a slight rose tint appearing on his cheeks. "It's me. I don't…I don't talk about my childhood much."

Kate nodded, understanding these sentiments fully. Nothing bad had happened during her childhood. Actually, it had been wonderful, but recalling such happy memories in the shadow of her mother's untimely death made the gaping hole in her chest ache even more. Sure, there were some times when she would share an anecdote or two with her coworkers, but those times were few and far between. If Rick's childhood strayed towards the not-so-happy she could understand his hesitation to share even more.

"That's fine." She promised him. "Forget it brought it up."

"I know you were just trying to be conversational, normal. I just…The thing is…I was kidnapped as a child."

Kate sucked in a breath and nearly stopped walking. The realization felt like cold water pouring over her head. Kidnapped. A little boy with piercing blue eyes and hair flopping over his forehead. That was why she recognized him but…how? He had to be at least five years older than her if not more. Depending on when he was kidnapped—which she was most certainly not going to ask—she would have been far too young to remember. Perhaps she'd seen a "Missing" pamphlet when going through old police files.

"Oh Rick; I'm sorry." No wonder he didn't want to talk about it! Jesus, how traumatic. Her cop brain wanted to pepper him with questions: How old was he? Where was he taken from? How long was he missing? Was he taken by a family member or a stranger? Did he escape or did the police recover him? Of course, she could ask none of those as it was entirely inappropriate and she did not want him to dredge up old memories to placate her curiosity.

"Don't be. I…I shouldn't have mentioned it." A mirthless laugh escaped his lips. "I usually don't, actually, but I…you just seem easy to talk to—sorry." He apologized the moment the sentence left his mouth. "That's probably weird for me to say, isn't it?"

She chuckled softly. "Not weird, Rick; very nice." She'd heard it before, particularly when she was in her patience-with-the-victim mode. Her CO had told her many times that her "bedside manner" (so to speak) was on par with some of the best he'd ever seen, which she found flattering, but in the end it was simple. Kate understood victims because she had been on herself; she had been on that side of the aisle and thus knew how to treat victims, because she knew how she wished she had been treated.

"I'm, ah, actually not very good at this."

She glanced over and found him wringing his hands together, a grimace on his face as they continued to walk. "What? Conversations?"

"No. Yes. Kind of. My therapist says I need to put myself out there more—make more friends, ask women on dates, be decisive…but it's hard for me."

"I think you're doing fine." Truly, if he had not revealed it, she would never have guessed he had anything sinister in his past. Sure, he came across as a little awkward, particular in the way he asked her out, but that was hardly a trait unique to him—or unique to someone who'd had a traumatic childhood. She had been asked out by many a flustered male and many were fine after a date or two. Others weren't but she tried not to judge them too harshly for it; not everyone was born suave or debonair.

For the next few blocks they continued their walk in silence, but Rick did appear noticeably relaxed. He even drifted back towards her again, close enough so that their swinging arms brushed together now and then as they made their way through the final kilometer of the event.

At the end, after picking up water cups and orange slices, they walked a half block down the sidewalk, away from the majority of the other race finishers, and Rick said to her, "So, um, did you want to get that coffee some time you're free?"

Though she tried to fight it, Kate knew her brow rose a few millimeters in surprised. Oh. She should have seen this coming, given how their morning was going, yet she was still slightly surprised. Now, she had a problem. He had just confessed to her something bad in his past and had said he had trouble doing things like asking women on dates. She didn't want to go out with him, but her reasoning had nothing to do with him, as he had been nothing but kind to her.

"Well, I-"

"Shit!" He cursed immediately, presumably taking her hesitation and lack of immediate affirmative answer as her shutting down his request. He skimmed his hand over his brow and began to pace the sidewalk. "I messed it up, right? I said too much. You don't want to go out with the guy with baggage…"

"No, not at all. It's me."

He gave her a look that clearly said he understood her comment to be pity, but that was far from the truth.

"No really." She continued. "I just made detective and I'm working a lot of hours trying to prove myself worthy. I…I don't really have time to date anyone right now."

Ok that wasn't a total lie. She had been a detective for nearly a year and she really was trying to work hard at proving herself—a woman—to be worthy of such a position. Yet, that was not the full reason. In truth, she was still trying to crawl out of her mother's case and be a normal person again.

Researching her mother's murder, diving into each and every corner of the unsolved file that could possibly yield a new lead, had taken up a greater portion of the prior nine months of her life. At her lowest, most obsessed point, she was hardly eating or sleeping, just spending hours reading and re-reading the same statements, the same summary reports. When she was late for a shift and reprimanded by her CO, it all hit her: she was slowly self-destructing in her own life and that was not something her mother would have wanted for her. So, as much as it broke her heart, she put the files away and had been trying to regain balance ever since.

A few months had passed since then and things were going well, but some days she still felt like an addict—wanting to reach for it, touch it, gaze at it just one more time—just one more time! But she couldn't. She knew that she couldn't. Slowly, day by day, it was becoming less of a central focus in her mind. Kate definitely wanted to get back to living—and, yes, living included dating—but she needed her head to be clear of her mother's case before she did that. Otherwise, it wasn't far to her—or to the men she would ultimately see. As kind as Rick had been to her, she just couldn't get involved with him—or anyone—until the time was right.

Once Rick looked slightly less wounded, she continued. "I just want to be honest with you, so you're not misled or that you get the wrong impression. We could still get that coffee, but I'm afraid all I can be is a friend right now."

Rick led out an audible breath and nodded his head. "Thank you for your honesty; I appreciate it."

She offered a small smile. "So…do you still want to get that coffee?"

He grinned at her. "Absolutely."

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews/follows. The next update will be on Sunday.

Also, if anyone reads the Castle Season 9 Episodes - I wrote this week's Episode, so go check it out if you're interested!