A connecting chapter, not much more. Some fluff for you Twilighters and some warning hints for those of you who are older than 18 and have seen the Elephant

OM

She Learned the Truth at 17 By Oldest Man

Chapter 9

"No! I just don't think my dad's ready to hear about my night of sexual debauchery, Rick. I think what you said was beautiful but my dad looks at me and remembers the hospital and then my mom. Being that blunt might not be the best approach."

"Kate, if he asks me man-to-man, I won't lie to him."

"Well, maybe – "

"I'm home, Dad. Mission accomplished. I added another zero to your AMEX bill. I've fulfilled my purpose for another month, or maybe until Bloomingdale's has another big sale. Hi, Kate! I'm starved, Dad. What's for dinner?"

Rick mixed up Juevos Rancheros - eggs with spicy salsa and onions and diced peppers, well stirred. He set them aside for later. He'd peeled and diced a few potatoes and par boiled them to soften them and added garlic and some small peppers more for color than taste and then sat back and relaxed.

Kate and Alexis were busy talking about shoes and boots and Kate kept thanking Alexis for her good taste. They were designed to be worn over the calves with the pants tucked in or could be worn with leggings. Either way, she told Alexis they were perfect.

Sensing that Kate was nervous about her new relationship with her dad, she just struck and struck hard, putting to rest all the fears and anxiety Kate might have about their new relationship.

"Kate, it's nice having a woman here who can remember being my age. Grams is wonderful but she remembers when street cars were drawn by horses and the movies had no words. I mean, Kate, the woman is old and thinks like a woman in her 50s."

"She's not old, she's just from another generation. She's smart and made it in a man's world without needing a man around all the time. I think she did a great job raising your dad until you came along. You whipped him into shape and he'll be the first person to admit it."

"You're unique, y'know? Dad never brought a woman to the loft, not even for dinner. He and Gina had been engaged for almost 3 months before Grams and I even met her and that was at brunch. She came by once and he talked with her in the hallway. You're special, Kate. He's serious as a heart attack if he let you stay the night."

"Well, I barged in on him. We'd had a misunderstanding and I just had to make it right with him. Alexis, I love your dad and I don't want you to think I'm trying to take your place or anything. He's – "

"You're kidding, right? I love the idea of another woman from the same century living here. Maybe you can convince Dad to keep me here this summer instead of agreeing to Meredith's demands that I spend the summer with her. She probably has some plot working for a movie and needs a kid in her life temporarily. I don't love her, I don't like her and I don't need her."

"Well, summer's still a long way off."

"If you ladies are hungry, we're about to eat. Castle's world renowned Juevos Rancheros will be ready in 10 minutes. Alexis, go wash up."

"Can I help?" Kate felt useless and she could at least offer to help.

"Yeah, you can beat these eggs and stuff up and then stand by to pour when I give you the word."

Rick added a smidgen of virgin olive oil to a hot frying pan and dumped in the potatoes and added some salt and pepper and shoved them around with a spatula.

"I suppose Alexis gave you the 'be nice to my dad or I'll - ' lecture? I'm sorry. She's very protective of her cub."

Kate laughed as she whisked the eggs and elbowed him. "She's perfect, Rick. You've done an excellent job raising her. Seriously, the only thing she told me about was – you never really brought another woman here, ever?"

"Nope. This is my family, Kate. I hope you realize that you're special. I love you and I wanted you to see my world for a while. I know the paparazzi can be a pain in the ass but I promise you that I'll do everything – "

She knew where this was heading and she wanted no part of it. When she walked through that door Friday evening she left behind any reservations about being with Richard Castle.

She set the bowl down and kissed him hungrily and ran her hands up around his neck and deepened it until she heard Alexis coming back down the stairs.

"You talk too much, honey. Now when do I add the eggs?"

"Eggs? Huh?" He looked at her like she was speaking another language.

"Supper?" She loved the dazed look on his face.

"Oh, yeah. See, you have to make sure the potatoes are just browned and crispy and then – pour in the eggs over top of them and let the mixture cook. You and Alexis can set the table if we're eating civilized this evening or we can just eat here."

"Here. I like being close to you and across the table is just too far right now. I'm feeling very emotional right now in case you hadn't noticed. This is a family and you've brought me in even if it's just for the weekend and – "

"Kate, if I haven't made myself clear with my broad hints – and no I wasn't throwing away my porn collection – I want you with me always or as often as you like."

"I have 3 months left on my apartment lease. Any idea where I might find a roommate to share expenses and bodily fluids?" She batted her eyes and smiled.

"Ewww, minor person in the room. Please keep it PG-13." Alexis snickered and pushed her way between the two adults. "Look, I think all this ooing and ahhing is sweet but I'm a growing girl and I need nourishment."

"Yeah, daughter, I agree. You both could use a few extra pounds. Sit and prepare to be amazed!"

Kate smirked but after a few bites changed her tune.

"Castle, these are amazing! My God, I'm going to gain 20 lbs this weekend!" She looked at him, suddenly serious.

"Rick, do you really think I'm too skinny? Really, just tell me the truth." She'd never had a problem with weight gain, it was always hanging on to the weight that was the problem. She had a high BMR and didn't always eat regularly or eat healthy foods and she was a physical training nut.

"I decline to answer on the grounds that you'll either be mad at me or think I'm lying to you. It's a no-win situation for the CastleMan. I invoke the 5th."

"We will talk about this later, Rick, after I clean my plate and ask for seconds. Where did you learn to cook like this?"

A shadow passed over his face but he quickly smiled when Alexis changed the subject.

"So, Kate, is it hard being a woman in the police force?"

The conversation went on as Kate related amusing anecdotes that had Rick laughing and thinking about where he could use them in the next Nikki Heat novel while Alexis listened and thought about her own future.

They watched several DVDs and soon Castle was the only one awake in the loft. Alexis was asleep with her head on Kate's lap and Kate had tucked herself under his shoulder and had one hand fisted in his shirt to make sure he didn't stray.

And that was how Martha found them when she strolled into the loft a little before midnight.

"Shh. I think I wore them out. I thought you said '10:00', Mother." He whispered, not wanting to wake them just yet.

"Don't start, Richard. It was 10:00 tomorrow night. We had a bit of an argument and I decided to leave. He'll call, I'm sure."

"Well, I was wondering if you could look after Alexis tomorrow afternoon. Kate's dad has invited us up for Sunday dinner and I wasn't looking forward to injecting Alexis into a potentially emotional first contact."

"Sure. If Chet calls, we'll work something out. Is she staying the night?" She liked this woman and felt she was just what her son needed to bring out the Rick Rogers who hid behind the façade of Richard Castle, playboy and author.

"I see she took my advice unlike someone I know who has ignored mine for years. Well, here's a little more, kiddo. Don't let this one get away. If she says the sky is taupe, agree. There's something special about her, but I'm sure you've already found that out."

"Um, well, yeah. Let me disengage myself from her and let's talk. I need a little wisdom and you seem to be the only source that doesn't judge."

Martha turned quickly before he could see how his simple words affected her. She hadn't exactly set a stunning example of how to handle relationships.

The pair retreated to his study and he laid out all that had happened since Friday night, leaving out the sex, of course, and they talked about his commitments in the past and what seemed to be an implied commitment on both their parts to a future together.

"Well, darling, it appears that both of you are on the same page but I caution you – this is Kate's first love and it may not last. Stop! Before you start telling me I'm wrong, please listen and don't interrupt."

Rick nodded in agreement. He'd had the very same thought about him being her 'first' and had chosen to ignore it because of his own intense feelings for Kate.

"Kyra Blaine. Ring any bells? A first 'true love' for the both of you and yet she left you high and dry. Remember how you felt? What happens if Kate chooses the same path? Oh, I don't mean she'll set out to destroy you any more than Kyra did, but you must keep that in mind. She's younger than you and all this romance is new to her and – what if it doesn't last for her, Richard? What if you're not the One?"

He remembered how he felt after Kyra left for England. It had been devastating to him so soon after the mess in the Balkans. He'd enrolled in college as soon as he'd separated from the service and had pushed himself hard to finish early, write his first novel, and balance a relationship with Kyra.

He wrote his second novel while wallowing around in self-doubt and self-pity. It had been a good novel but a bad time for him. He had drank too much and screwed anything that would hold still long enough. Beckett's comment about the 'scarred snake' had been truer than she knew. She just had the time frame wrong.

He was nodding his head as he thought about what his mother had said and what the aftermath had been like for him.

If Meredith hadn't gotten pregnant and he hadn't married her, what would his future have been like? Bleak. His daughter had saved him. She'd given him unconditional love when all the other women in his life had walked away or were planning to.

"I'll take Alexis up to bed. She'll sleepwalk her way upstairs for me. You, my darling son, need to deal with Kate. She's a lovely girl and I look forward to spending time with her. Just – just keep in mind what I've told you and guard your heart."

Martha hugged her son and pressed a kiss into his hair and sighed.

'He loves too fast and too deeply. Maybe this time it will have the storybook ending everyone seemed to hope for.'

Kate woke up when Martha took Alexis up to bed. Alexis was on 'autopilot' but still managed a 'G'night, Kate' while stumbling her way to bed. Martha had smiled and pointed to the study and then wished her a good night.

"He's in there. We had a long talk about some things that he wouldn't want you to know about. Be careful with him. He's in love with you and I just hope you understand what that means, Kate. Well, I'll bid you two good night. I'll be looking after Alexis tomorrow so enjoy your dinner with your father. Maybe we can have him down for dinner some evening?"

Kate rubbed the sleep from her eyes and got up and walked into the study. It had only been 24 hours since she'd made her declaration and yet it seemed like long ago.

Unconsciously, she approached him in the same way as before, walking up behind his chair and wrapping her arms around his neck while pressing her scarred cheek against his stubbly one.

"Your mother's going to watch out for Alexis tomorrow. She asked me to invite my dad to dinner here some night. Think it's a good idea?"

"Depends. If he doesn't kill me or throw my out of the house, yeah, definitely. You should warn him about my mother, though. She sees single men as incomplete and, well, she's a terrible flirt and I wouldn't want him getting the wrong idea."

"My dad will love you, Rick, just like I do. It's late and I didn't mean to crash on you but you were so warm and – Rick, Alexis put her head on my lap and just went to sleep. Has that – "

"Never before. Gina was cold towards her, resenting her relationship with me. She never warmed towards Alexis and Alexis avoided any physical display of affection like the plague. It was a long and painful two years. She had her 5th and 6th operations and I spent more time with her than with my 'wife' and Gina resented the loss of time and how I put my writing on hold."

"She was selfish, Rick. That's probably when she 'strayed' like you said."

"Yeah. I guess it was."

"Martha told me you two had a long talk. Was it about us? Does she disapprove?" She didn't think Martha did but wanted Rick's take on it.

"Yeah, about us but mostly about me and my poor 'relationship history'. She likes you and that's a first, Kate. She never liked any of the others."

She wondered just how many 'others' there were but dismissed it. There would be no 'others' in his life. She was all he'd ever want or need.

"I'm curious to see if last night was a 'one time thing', well, 'two time thing'. C'mon, my lover, take me to bed and dispel all my doubts."

"Ooh, no pressure, right, Kate?"

"I was just kidding, Rick. But I meant it. Let's go to bed. We've both had a long day and I want to end it in your arms so get up and move it, old man."

"Go up and take a bath or whatever. I'll lock up and be up in ten minutes or so. I have a few thoughts about the next novel I just want to get down before I forget them. Y'know, 'senior moments' are becoming more and more frequent as I get older…"

"Butt head. Don't be too long."

Sunday Morning

6:30am

She woke slowly, savoring the feeling of warmth and the tickle of his breath on her neck. She reached back and ran her palm across his cheek. He'd shaved right before coming to bed and when she asked him 'why', he'd just smiled.

She found out why and learned another thing about her boyfriend/lover: he had a most talented and gifted tongue. She blushed when she remembered her sudden shyness but felt her face pulse with heat when she remembered how she'd smothered her cries and moans in his pillow as she'd climaxed.

When they finally coupled, it was as good as anything she'd ever experienced. She just didn't know if she could survive anymore 'surprises' from Castle. She honestly thought she was having a heart attack but what a way to go!

She felt his morning erection against her and she wiggled her butt around until she had it right where she wanted it and then she clenched her muscles and laughed when he expelled a breath into her ear and squirmed against her.

"You play dirty, Kate. It's just my 'morning nature', that's all." He started to roll over and get up but she grabbed the arm that crossed over her and mumbled 'no, stay'.

"Kate, please! I'm old and bladder control is an issue – "

She laughed and let him go. Sometimes she wondered what his hang up was with his age. He wasn't that much older than she was, only 8 years separated them, and not that much younger than her – father?

She'd deal with it when the time came but right then she needed the bathroom, too.

They ate a light breakfast and left a note for the still sleeping redheads. Kate wanted to go to her apartment, shower and wash her hair and change clothes. Rick could pick her up around 10 and they'd drive up to her father's house and be there by 1pm.

The cab ride to her apartment was quick given the early hour. She kissed him soundly and went into her apartment.

"Where to now, sir?" the cab driver asked.

He gave him his home address and sat back to enjoy the ride and think.

Loft

Rick cooked breakfast for his mother and daughter. They hadn't even stirred until he shouted up the stairs for them to get up. He kept glancing at the clock nervously. He really, really didn't want to meet Kate's father. He had never done well with fathers. Meredith's father had passed away and her stepfather wasn't at all interested in her life. Gina's parents were living on the west coast and came to the wedding but showed no interest in being step-grandparents.

"Darling, if you look at that clock or your watch one more time, I'm going to lock you in your room. You're as nervous as a cat."

"Just not looking forward to 'dinner with Dad'."

"Just relax and be yourself. I doubt his approval will change Kate's mind about her feelings for you. I did ask her to invite him down for dinner with the four of us later this month. I'm curious to meet the man who raised her, aren't you?"

"No. I'd rather gargle Drano if you want the God's honest truth. I just don't want to upset things, y'know? We're still 'new' and meeting the parent isn't high on my to-do list."

"Well, suck it up. You're going and that's all there is to it. I think Kate's probably as nervous as you are."

Beckett's apartment

Kate was nervous. She'd never brought a boy to dinner let alone a man. She just hoped that her father's sarcastic wit and need to one-up everyone was in check. They were still so 'new' and fragile as a couple although Kate couldn't imagine a life without him now.

She put the finishing touches to her makeup and sat down with a cup of coffee and waited. The clock seemed to slow down as she watched it and she would swear on a stack of Bibles that it completely stopped for a minute or two before starting again.

She looked at herself in the mirror and frowned. Was she too thin? She was wearing gray slacks and a black cashmere turtleneck and wore her mother's ring on a silver chain that dangled the precious ring between her breasts. She didn't need to wear a turtleneck around Rick.

He seemed oblivious to her scars and in fact seemed to spend more time kissing and nibbling at them than the other side. She asked him about it and he seemed surprised and rolled over and thought about it. His answer surprised her.

"I'm right handed but favor my left for caressing and since we generally lie on our sides, me on my right and you on your left, the right side of you is more available. Why? Does it bother you? I'll stop. I didn't think about it."

Her response had been to crawl onto him and attack him with kisses and her own caresses. She loved touching him and the feel of his shaft in her hand and his response to her touch empowered her.

Kate blew a puff of air at an errant lock of hair that dangled in front of her eyes and frowned.

'I can't believe I'm sitting here daydreaming about my boyfriend's thing in my hand and – oh, crap, I'm doing it again!'

Next: Meeting the Ogre