Hello everyone,

I've finally finished the next chapter.

Hope you'll like it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.

Chapter 7

Rick realized pretty quickly that he liked her laugh. It was a sweet melody, encouraging everyone to join into it. He could listen to it the rest of the night, enjoying the sight of her. Her eyes beaming with pure amusement, the corner of her lips being lifted upwards every time a smile formed on her lips.

He also noted that she always unconsciously pulled a stray strain behind her ears when she was trying not to smile, biting onto her lower lip. An adorable habit of hers.

Currently she was laughing about him and his experience with the police force. "And you really stole a police horse while being naked? Why did you do that?"

Rick shrugged, trying to look like a pure innocent man. "I was drunk. And I lost a bet."

"You did it because you lost a bet?"

"I always owe up to my debts. Even if it's something like that."

Kate chuckled. "That poor police officer. Must have been shocked to see a naked man steal his horse."

"He was shocked? I was shocked when I woke up in a holding cell the next day, having one of the worst hangover I've ever had."

"And what was the verdict for your actions?"

Rick sighed. "Community service. Three months."

"Three months of cleaning up New York City?"

"No. Three months cleaning out the stables of the police horses."

She had to laugh at this, picturing him standing in the middle of a dunghill holding a pitchfork. Kate would've loved to see it for herself. "Serves your right."

"What about you?" He asked, empting his glass too.

"What about me?"

He sat a little straighter now, looking curiously at her. "What did you do? Which skeletons are in your closet?"

"There are no skeletons." She replied matter-of-factly.

"Come on," he scoffed. "You can't tell me you never did anything wrong."

"You do know I'm a cop, right?"

"So? Even cops have fun from time to time, letting their hair down."

Kate narrowed her eyes at him, thinking of anything she could tell him. "Fine. I dated a grunge rocker when I went to school."

"That's just….. bad. Come on, you can definitely do better."

"I missed my prom, going instead to a poetry slam."

"Please, I missed my prom because I got expelled right before the event, after I sneaked into school with my friends one night, pushing a cow up twelve flights of stairs and onto the roof."

Damn. Was this really degenerating into a competition? She leant forward gazing directly into his eyes, ready to up her game. "After I applied for the NYPD, they did a background check on me. Afterwards I found out that I married my ex a few year prior on a trip to Vegas."

"That's better." Rick smiled. "But I'm sure you can still top that."

"When I was a teenager I went to a concert, picked the lock on the tour bus and stole the jacket of one of the band members."

Rick smirked triumphant. "Ah, there it is. A little rebel."

"So you're satisfied now?"

"For now." He grinned. "How did a rebel like you become a cop?"

Kate stayed silent and he already thought that he wouldn't get an answer from her, however she exhaled deeply and started to speak in a low voice "Someone close to me got killed."

His next question was already on its way to be voiced out, at the tip of his tongue. His curiosity awoken. Who had been killed? How? When? Did they catch the killer? However the look of her eyes made him halt.

Sadness and grief were visible in them. This conversation he'd be about to start would make her uncomfortable. She'd probably shut down altogether, searching for a suitable apology and leave him sitting here in a matter of seconds. And as blunt as he could be sometimes, he never would directly make anyone uncomfortable, especially not when it was as palpable as it was right at this moment.

It was obvious that their fun time was over, and Rick almost regretted to have ever asked that question. The topic obviously a sore point for her. "I'm sorry for your loss."

She smiled slightly at him, appreciating his way of giving her an out of this particular topic. "And how did you become a fireman?"

"I wanted to do something cool." He shrugged.

Kate rose an eyebrow, not fully believing his nonchalance. "Really?"

"No." he smiled. "But this job does have a coolness factor, you have to admit that."

She just rolled her eyes at his child-like behavior.

"My story goes way back when I was a kid. I just turned ten, my friend and I played in an abandoned house down the street we lived. Our parents told us again and again how we aren't allowed to enter it, but we never cared. It was an empty house, a huge place and certainly big enough to serve as a fantastic playground. One day we were messing around like we always did, however we accidentally knocked over one of your self-made lamps and the wooden floor caught fire. I've never seen a fire spread this fast." He told her, and she was totally engrossed in his storytelling. Kate was picturing how he and his friend must have panicked after the fire started to spread out.

"The only exit of the room we were in was cut off by the fire. We panicked, pressed our backs to the naked wall on the opposite side. We didn't know what to do. Smoke was starting to get into our systems, our eyes got blurry. I remember having trouble breathing. A sudden tiredness was creeping its way through my body, paralyzing me and my eyes slowly closed. The last thing I saw before I fell unconscious was a black figure jumping through the flames, then there was only blackness."

He took a moment while he relieved one of his most frightened moments in his life.

"I learned later that the figure I saw was a fireman who came to get us out of the house. I've never saw him again, could never thank him for what he did. That man rescued two kids from their certain death. Two kids whom had their whole lives still in front of them, had dreams. Since then I knew I wanted to do the same, saving people. But not only saving them, but at the same time saving their dreams and hopes. Giving them a chance to act on them, to live."

"And you never met the man that saved you?" Kate asked.

Rick shook his head. "No. I searched for him. After I got accepted by the FDNY, I asked my way around. I found a man who had worked with the one who saved my friend and me. He told me that his name was Rob Finnigan and that he moved back to Seattle a month after this incident."

Silence took over for a moment, both mending to their own thoughts.

Kate's eyes flicked back up, resting them on Rick's face. "Had this been the reason why you got into my apartment? Did you think that there were some children involved?"

"I got into your apartment because I wanted to help, not caring what kind of people were in there. Am I happy that there weren't any children? Hell yeah. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't have helped even if I had known that fact."

Glancing to her empty glass and a quick check to see what time it was, Kate decided that it would probably a good idea to head home. As much as she would like to stay a little longer, she knew that she'll most likely won't get out of bed the next morning if she'd do so. "It's late. I should go home."

"Would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow?"

That question caught her off-guard. She hadn't thought that he'd want to meet up again, at least not that soon. However she answered his question without really thinking it over. Her head had surrendered earlier this evening, not overthinking any of her moves. She could do that tomorrow again. Today she wanted to finish the evening careless of any future worry. "Sure. But I'm not sure if I'll get a case or not."

Rick smiled. "Hey, I have two perfectly working legs. I can bring lunch wherever you want me to."

"You don't have to play delivery man, Rick. Let's just settle with me calling you. Either I have time or we have to reschedule out lunch meeting. That okay?"

"Sure." Rick agreed readily, though he knew already that even if she didn't have time tomorrow, he'd make sure to bring her something. He was too eager to see her again to wait for a time they both would have time again. Besides, if it really should come to that, maybe he could see the precinct and get to know something of her case. His interest already spiking in him. "Let's hope for the best then."

"Good night, Rick." Kate replied, taking her coat and making her way to the door.

"See you tomorrow." She heard Rick calling after her and she looked shortly back over her shoulder, seeing Rick grinning at her and she had to shake her head at his trust of them seeing each other the next day.

Still she couldn't keep a small smile off her lips, hope blossoming up in her.

Hope, that he was right.

Have a great start into the weekend, guys :D

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