Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.

Prompt: From the Castle Fan awards-"Castle & Beckett stuck in an empty room with a radio, a cat, a sharpie and a single cup of coffee". I know it is after the fact, plus I don't even know how well I followed the rules so it isdefinitely not for nomination, but the prompt stuck.

Kate leaned around the doorway to the study, "Alexis called."

No response.

"Oh Caaaastle..."she sang his name.

Seconds passed before the words sank in and he slowly looked up. Blinked. "What?"

"Alexis called and she wants us to look after Felix."

"Felix?"

He was still stuck in the world of his characters. Kate's voice got softer, "Her new kitten, it's still so young. She is moving all her stuff to her new place on Saturday and needs someone to feed him, keep him company, make sure he doesn't get into trouble..."

"Oh..."

"I said I would do it."

"I didn't peg you for a crazy cat woman."

She saw the wheels turning in his head, fingers moving to the keys on his computer. "You can come with me if you want..." But he was already back in his own little world.

Saturday morning they trudged up the stairs to Alexis's studio apartment and rapped on the stained glass window.

The door opened a crack, blue eyes peeking through, "Get in quick or Felix will escape."

As she spoke, a tiny, ratty, tabby kitten ran for the door, batting at it when it closed before she could get out.

Castle hugged his daughter, "So that's Felix?"

They looked to Kate who was sitting, leaning against the door and playing with the kitten.

"That's him." Alexis moved to the kitchen, "Now the movers should be here any minute, if you can just keep Felix busy while they are going in and out, that would be great. And then I'll be gone until the evening so you need to feed him. Also, make sure you play with him, otherwise he will hide for days and I will never get him to my new place." She gestured, "Please, make yourselves comfortable..."

They glanced around at the boxes that packed the tiny apartment, looking for someplace to sit.

Alexis was apologetic, "Try the futon; I won't bring that until tomorrow. Now, can I get you guys something to drink?"

"Coffee please, thanks honey."

"It's only instant."

"That's fine."

Kate wrinkled her nose, "I'll have hot chocolate if you have it."

"Sure, coming right up." Alexis grabbed two mugs from a half packed box and set the water boiling.

There was another rap at the door and Alexis yelled, "Grab Felix!", as she hurried to the door.

The movers had worked fast, in and out in 30 minutes, leaving Kate and Castle alone with Felix in the empty apartment. They'd spent those 30 minutes holding onto the tiny kitten with all their might so that he wouldn't escape. Their drinks were lukewarm now and Kate went to the microwave to warm them up. When she came back she handed Castle a mug, eyes twinkling.

"Kaaate..." He looked down and back up at her, "That's my cup of coffee, hand it over."

She took a sip, "But she made it so good. I'll trade you."

"No way, you asked for hot chocolate." He wandered around before he found a lone sharpie and wrote Kate in big block letters on her mug. "This is your mug." He held it out to Kate but she danced backwards.

He put down her mug and chased after her, Felix running circles around them.

"Kate, you are going to spill it!"He warned her as if the half a cup of coffee was one hundred and twenty five year old scotch.

"Castle, you are going to squash the cat!"

"Because you took my coffee. As you would say - what's next, my soul?"

Felix nipped at her heels and she stopped running around the small room. Castle smiled in triumph when she slowly moved to where he had set her mug to grudgingly trade it for his. She was damned if she was going to hand it to him like a civilized human being.

He snatched up his mug and wrote CASTLE in large block letters on his own mug for good measure. "This is mine," he took a satisfied gulp, "all mine."

"What if we just..."

"No way."

"You didn't even hear what I had to say!"

"Well..." His stubbornness was waning seeing that he had trouble saying no to the teasing love in her eyes.

"Ha!" She quickly wiped the triumph from her face and smiled demurely, "How about we mix the coffee and the hot chocolate. We both win."

"That's no fun..." But he was already stepping towards her to mix the once again lukewarm drinks.

From the boxes left behind they made tunnels for Felix to run through and towers for him to knock down. They got him chasing bits of packing paper and the tiny kitten looked ever so proud of himself when he trapped a piece. Felix was petted and rubbed until Castle was sure his fur would all fall out. Finally he curled up in a pile of ripped paper and fell sound asleep. For a tiny kitten, his purrs echoed surprisingly to fill the entire apartment.

"Now what?" Kate felt that she practically had to shout to be heard over the noise.

He looked around; eyes falling on the radio that the movers had left behind. "What are you in the mood for?"

Kate shrugged, "Whatever you can get on that thing."

It was paint speckled, suggesting that the movers moonlighted as painters, but at least it worked. Castle fiddled with the dial before settling on a programme playing music from the nineteen-forties. Since the fascinating case a few years before, they shared a growing love for music from the thirties and forties. They went to concerts, parties, even a dance class – much to the shock of everyone, including themselves.

Setting the radio down on a pile of boxes, Castle swept Kate into her arms and they moved easily around the bare floor. She laid her head on his chest, the rise and fall of his chest and the beat of his heart keeping time with the music, and he pulled her closer, their feet continuing to move in the practiced steps.

They stood dancing for a long time before Kate broke free from the hold that the music had on her. "I can still hear the cat."

Castle faltered and stopped moving his feet, instead choosing to keep his hold on Kate and sway, "Great, now I can too."

In unison, they both tried to begin the steps again but only ended up stepping on each other's toes.

"It's no use." Kate threw up her hands and left his side to sit on the futon.

With nothing to do but agree, Castle fiddled with the radio again to find a radio story and joined her on the couch. "I hope you're proud of yourself Felix."

If a cat could smile, it did, and the purring was cranked up a notch.

Alexis unlocked the door in the late afternoon to find the empty apartment strewn with papers and boxes, the radio blaring and her father, Kate and Felix sound asleep on the couch.

Click.

Alexis took a mental picture to treasure, always.

A/N: I couldn't help the last word, please forgive me.