A piercing ring tone awoke Kate from her slumber, making her roll over and attempt to drown out the noise. The phone continued to screech for a few more seconds, until the brunette heard a loud groan from the room next to hers.

"For fuck's sake, Kate, turn it off!" Maddie's voice shouted from across the dorm.

"It's not mine!" Kate replied, grumbling.

"Then why is it coming from your room?"

Kate sat up in her bed, realising that the ringing was indeed coming from the bag she took to the party last night. But that wasn't her ring tone, was it? She shook her head and rubbed her eyes, only one way to stop the ringing. She unlocked the phone, answering the call with a barely audible groan.

"Richard! Have you forgotten what you promised to do!?" A shrill voice asked loudly.

Kate emitted an incoherent noise as a response.

"For God's sake, Richard! You said you would help set up my studio's lights, since apparently, and I quote 'you're an old lady who can't handle her drink, let alone 60 pound electronics'. But it looks like you can't handle your drink either, young man, if you slept through your alarm!"

Kate creased her eyebrows, trying to make sense of what was happening. "W-What?"

A sigh came from the phone speaker, "Oh God, Richard. Is a woman there with you? Just apologise to the poor girl and get down here."

"Who's Richard?"

"She doesn't even know your name? Oh dear, I thought I taught you to treat women with respect."

Kate perked up, "I didn't sleep with this Richard, or with anyone! Now who are you and why are you calling me so early at…" She glanced at her alarm clock, 10:47? She'd really slept for that long? With a sigh, she continued "Why are you calling me in the first place?"

"I'm sorry, who is this?" The woman asked, voice much quieter and less angry sounding.

"Kate Beckett?" She answered cautiously.

"How do you know Richard?"

"Again, who?"

"My son, Richard Castle."

Oh.

Kate let out a loud groan, causing the woman on the other side of the line to chuckle, "Yep, that'll be him."

"I met him last night, we talked for a bit, and then I left…"

"Well, dear, you somehow have his phone."

"But, how?" Kate struggled to remember, (why was her brain this fuzzy after only a couple of drinks? Oh right, she was holding Maddie's hair and rubbing circles on her back until approximately 5am. That's why.) She managed to image the table she put her phone on. Did he put his phone down there too? Yeah, she distinctly remembers two iPhones laid out on the counter. But didn't the idiot check the case before he took the phone? Or did she take one first? She was too tired for this.

"I'm sorry for shouting at you, darling." The woman sounded slightly bashful, causing Kate to soften.

"No, it's fine." It wasn't fine, but she could pretend, "How about I give my number a ring and tell him about this mix-up, and ask him to call you?"

A content sigh came from the speaker, "I would be very grateful, dear, thank you."

"No problem, Mrs. Castle."

"Oh, no, Martha. You can call me Martha."

"Okay, Martha. Bye."

"Goodbye, dear. Oh, and Kate?"

"Yes?"

"Don't be afraid to shout at him. For the both of us."

"Don't worry, I will."

Her phone picked up on the second ring, with an unusually chipper voice coming through the speakers. "Why, hello mystery lady."

"Shut up, Richard."

"Jesus, Richard sounds formal, call me Rick." He replied with a smirk.

"Well, your Mom calls you Richard, so I guess-"

Rick cut her off, "Wait, my Mother? When did you-"

"The lovely sound of your Mother's voice was my alarm clock this morning, shouting at me about how you should be helping her at her-"

"Studio. Shit."

"Yeah, shit."

"I'm sorry, I completely forgot about that."

"Why are you apologising to me?" Kate asked inquisitively, sensing a change in his character.

"Because I've spent 21 years dealing with my Mother's shouting waking me up in the morning, and I would never wish that upon anyone, especially you."

She kind of feels implied to ask what he means by the end of that sentence, but isn't quite prepared for any answer, so she continued on, "Where are we meeting?"

"That's a very blunt way to ask me out on date."

Kate sighed, rolling her eyes, "I need my phone, you need yours. Also, I've had about 4 hours sleep, so don't test me."

"Is that 'Mama Beckett' mode coming out again?" Rick stated, remembering her conversation between her and her drunk friend the night before.

"No, but if you annoy me anymore, I can get Mama Beckett to put a restraining order on you, understood?" She huffed.

A chuckle emerged from him, "Understood."

A small silence occurred before Kate let out another sigh, "Place?"

"Oh, right. Remy's? It's a restaurant café kind of place on Lexington Avenue, near 14th Street. It has these burgers-"

"I think you're getting ahead of yourself, Rick. I just want my phone."

"Not much of a date then, is it?"

"Remy's. 14th and Lex. 11:30?"

Another infuriating chuckle, "Looking forward to it, mystery lady."

Kate hung up, falling back into her mattress, letting out a shrill screech of frustration.

"Guy from last night?" She heard Maddie's voice grumble as she approached the kitchen, turning on the coffee machine.

"How'd you guess?"

"From what I can remember, he seemed like a bit of a dick."

Kate loves her best friend.

He immediately spotted her when she entered, dressed comfortably in an oversized green sweater that brings out her hazel eyes, wearing light brown heeled boots that compliment her never-ending legs that are donned in navy blue skinny jeans. Her make-up is minimal, but still making her look like a fresh faced woman instead of a college student who got 4 hours sleep. She scowled as she saw his eyes raking down her frame, hastily making her way towards the table he's perched at.

"Here." She borderline threw the phone down onto the plastic table, raising her eyebrows as to inquire as to the location of her mobile.

"Sit down. I've ordered you a burger with fries and a side salad so-"

"No I-"

"I didn't order a drink because I didn't know what you liked – other than vodka tonics, which I don't think you'd want this early anyway – but I recommend the shake, they're to die for, especially the strawberr-"

"Rick, I don't want-"

"You should really sit because the food could be here any minute and if you look like you're leaving they might-"

"Rick!" Kate interrupted loudly, slamming her fist onto the table, narrowly missing his phone.

"Look." He said calmly, the childish rambling from before gone, "I'm sorry for the mix-up and I'm sorry for my Mother's piercing voice yelling at you this morning, and I'm sorry for bothering you last night when you just wanted peace and quiet, or well, as much as you could get at a house party." Kate rolled her eyes before Rick continued, "Look, I'm sorry. Just, let me make it up to you? You don't have anywhere else to be, do you?"

Kate shook her head slowly, eyeing him cautiously. "Come on, you just… you seem interesting and I'd like to get to know you, while I apologise for everything that I've caused in your life in the past 12 hours, okay?"

The girl smiled grudgingly before sitting down in the chair opposite him, "Fine."

Rick grinned at her, "Thank you, Beckett."

"I could get used to this side of you," Rick tilted his head, prompting her to elaborate, "The side of you that apologises and isn't a cocky bastard."

"A man can't help being cocky if he has such a big co-"

"And he's back." Kate said in a monotone voice, feigning annoyance, causing him to smirk.

Before they could begin a conversation, a young teenage boy with curly brown hair stepped up to their booth, "One cheeseburger with extra fries and one regular burger with fries and salad?"

"Yep," Rick piped up, "Cheese for me, regular for the lady."

Kate grimaced slightly and being called 'the lady', but then remembered what Rick had said previously, "By the way, do you have any strawberry shakes?"

"Of course, one strawberry shake for the lady, coming right up!" The waiter said slightly too enthusiastically after he had finished placing down the food. Rick didn't hesitate before digging in to his cheeseburger, so Kate dug in, taking a small bite out of her burger. She could instantly see why he liked this place, the food was great.

"Good choice of meeting place?" Rick asked after he had finished his mouthful.

Kate nodded, swallowing down her bite, "Very good, at least there's one thing about you I don't mind, your good sense of taste."

"Hey, that's not very fair, the only things you know about me are that I have a batshit crazy Mother that enjoys a drink, or ten, and that I write books. You can't judge me on that!"

Kate bit her bottom lip, appearing pensive, "Fine, tell me more things about yourself then."

"Oh, Beckett, I was hoping you'd ask that." He smirked.

Over the next hour or so, Kate learned that Richard Castle was a senior at her college, majoring in Literature and minoring in Criminology, his Mother was a Broadway actress that had once been nominated for a Tony Award and has apparently never been quiet about it since, he had a golden retriever for most of his childhood that was called Pat because at aged 7 he thought the joke that his dog's full name was 'Pat the dog' was hilarious, his birthday was April 1st and he therefore has 'an inbuilt love of pranks that cannot be swayed', he spent most of his days in the New York Public Library as it was his free babysitter while his Mother worked and that's how his love of writing and books came about, and that his favourite show was some Joss Whedon show that Kate had never previously heard of, but he had made her promise to check out so they could 'fangirl together'.

Similarly, Rick had found out multiple facts about his mystery lady, such as how her first name was Kate (which he was glad about so now he no longer needs to refer to her as solely Beckett in his head), she was raised in Manhattan, until her and her family had to move due to her Mom's job, she was studying pre-law so she could follow in her mother and father's footsteps, the drunk girl she was looking after was her room-mate Madison Queller whom she met on her first day of college and became immediate friends with after her quarter got stuck in the vending machine and the blonde had used a hair pin to fetch it back out, her grandfather was a magician and took her to a local magic shop (the same one he frequented as a child) every Sunday morning after church, for the first few months of elementary school, she referred to herself as 'Lola' because she hated how everyone insisted on called her 'Katherine' instead of Kate, and she bought her first comic at age 14.

The two chatted for a long time after they finished their meals and shakes, until a gentle chime tinkling sound from Rick's bag made them pause abruptly. On instinct, he answered the phone, before widening his eyes as he heard the startled voice on the other side.

"Sorry," he said bashfully, "Forgot it was yours."

Kate rolled her eyes as she took her phone from his hand, placing it swiftly up to her ear. "Hello? Oh, hey Mom."

Kate furrowed her eyebrows as her Mom spoke, "Why would you call out a search party for me?" she asked, until the realisation dawned on her with a gasp, "Oh God, I didn't text you when I got in last night! Oh crap, Mom I'm so sorry! Please say that you and Dad didn't wait up all night like you used to…"

She chuckled as she heard her Mother's response, "Glad to know you don't think you're 'that pathetic' anymore, even though you've resorted to calling me about 12 hours since we last spoke anyway."

Kate paused to listen to her Mother's voice, then snapped her gaze back to Rick, speaking in a hushed tone, as if he couldn't hear her, "No, Mom, you didn't 'interrupt anything', he's no-one."

This statement caused Rick's eyebrows to shoot up, and to quickly hurtle forward to snatch Kate's phone from her, making her emit what could only be described as a small screech.

"Hello, Mrs. Beckett. I'm Richard Castle, lovely to virtually meet you. I just overheard your daughter calling me no-one, so I thought I would set the record straight, and show you that she hasn't lost her mind in her first semester of college, and she wasn't talking to a brick wall."

"A brick wall would be more charismatic than you." Kate mumbled, still trying to grasp her phone from over the table.

"Shh, Kate. Don't insult me when I'm talking to your Mother, you'll make her gather a bad impression of me."

"Her impression of you doesn't matter! Give me my phone, you asshole!"

"Katherine Beckett, I do believe your Mother heard you say that." A laugh erupted from Castle as he scolded at her, "She said she heard it!"

"She's a lawyer, she's heard much worse, now give me my phone!"

"But I want to talk to your Mom, after you said such lovely things about her… Oh yes, Mrs Beckett, she's been quite the advocate for you, and for your cooking! I've been told that your breakfasts are exquisite; bacon, sausages, eggs, pancakes, the whole shebang! I can't wait to try it for myself!" Castle's mouth opened as he saw his companion moving over to his side of the booth, "I'm sorry to interrupt you Mrs Beckett, but I think your daughter is going to kill me, so you only have a limited time left."

"I'm definitely going to kill you!" Kate retorted, as she poked Rick's squirming body, trying to get him to give up the mobile.

"Mrs Beckett, did you get that? Make sure you use this recording in court when your daughter is on trial for murder!" Rick attempted to catch Kate's wrists with his available hand as she made swipes for his head, "Ha, she said that you would definitely put in jail with that kind of admission! Now, Beckett, am I so annoying that you would give up multiple years of your li-" Kate lunged forward and gripped the shell of his ear, "Ow! Ow! Fucking hell, that hurts, Kate!"

"It's supposed to!" Kate replied, finally successfully pulling the phone from his grasp. "I'll talk to you later, Mom, I need to deal with this idiot."

"Will you be my lawyer for this incident, Mrs Beckett? I need someone to avenge me!"

"She works for the New York Attorney, not Nick Fury, you moron." Kate said exasperatedly as she heard her Mother's laugh through the phone, she was definitely going to be interviewed about this later. She smirked as she heard Johanna's reply, "No, I won't 'go easy' on him. Bye, Mom." She said finally, hanging up and tossing the phone onto the table as Rick continued to poke and tickle her.

"Rick, stop! I'm not even on the phone anymore!" His fingers roamed the expanse of her sweater covering the right side of her rib cage, making her emit a loud squeal as she wriggled away.

"Why, Ms Beckett, did I just find your sensitive spot?"

"Shut up and stop! I'm going to fall out of the booth!"

Rick wrapped an arm around Kate's middle and pulled her up, close enough so her chest brushed his, their faces inches away from each other's.

Kate immediately flinched away, grasping her phone and purse. "Bye, Rick."

The man looked up in confusion as Kate stood up and hurried towards the door, "Kate, wait! Kate!" but it was no use, she was already out the door and continued to walk at the same fast pace until she reached the college campus.

As soon as she got into her dorm, she leaned back against the closed door, scarlet red face desperately panting for breath.

"Really?" Her room-mate said amusedly from the couch, "It went so badly you ran away?"

Kate shook her head, squinting at the blank spots in her vision, "I don't even know."

"Well then," Maddie shifted slightly, patting the space next to her, "Tell me all about it, and I'll help you figure it out."

Kate flopped down next to her friend, a slight smile emerging on her face, "So, should I start from the phonecall?"