Katherine (KBPOV)

What the fuck had just happened? I thought. Richard Castle, my favorite author, just asked for my number. Oh God, that was the strangest thing ever!

Since my mother was murdered I developed a taste for mystery novels, and Richard Castle, being one of the most famous authors of the genre and one of my mother's favorite authors of all time, became a favorite of mine as well.

I couldn't wrap my mind around what had just happened; Yes, I've been told that I was a beautiful woman but Richard Castle could have practically any woman he wanted, and even after I showed him my ring he still wanted my number.

Still trying to regain my posture, I stopped in front of my office building's door and counted to ten to calm myself.

Slightly calmer, I entered the building feeling less sad than I felt in the morning. With a new energy that was passing through my body I went to my office passing Patricia, my assistant, and for the first time that week, I gave her a real smile, not just the polite, forced smile that I usually gave. Patricia probably thought that I finally lost it. She was a good assistant that never questioned my humor, which sometimes changed from water to wine in a few hours.

While trying to not to be too anxious waiting for Richard to call, I called Lanie and asked if she already had any ideas on where we would be going later. Lanie, being Lanie, already had a plan:

"Baby, we are going to a new bar that opened this month, and you have to look A-MA-ZING!"

"Hmm… sure, Lanie. I'm pretty sure I have a dress at my house that will work. You'll be happy, don't worry," I told her, visualizing the dress in my head.

"You don't have to make me happy, darling. You have to make every guy in the place happy, do you understand? You have to be A-MA-ZING!"

"Lanie, I got it. I have to dress to kill, wear make-up, put my hair up or do something sexy, I got it."

"Good, Kate. You know that I love you, right?"

"Yeah, I know. I love you too, never forget. Sometimes I am a bitch but you are someone that I never stop loving, okay?"

"Of course, darling. don't worry, I know that."

"Okay, good. It's six o'clock now. What time do you want to meet?" I asked.

"How about ten?"

"Sure. Just call when you are close so I can wait for you downstairs."

"Okay, love you, bye. Go get sexy," She said, laughing.

"Yeah, you too, love you." I said and pulled the phone away from my ear, hanging up.

Not really anxious to go to the bar, I finished my work and around seven I went home. As I got there, I remembered that I still needed to call Peter. There was a conversation that I really didn't want to have, but was necessary.

"Hi, love, I'm glad you called. How are you?" Peter said with his sweetest voice. I think that because he was a psychiatrist that he got my humor swings, understood me and didn't complain when I was feelings sad. He just accepted it and loved me anyways.

"I'm fine. How are you?" I tried to sound cheerful since I ignored his call earlier.

"Better now, love. How was your day?"

"Fine. It was busy. You know how it is when I have a big case," I said, glad for the small talk.

"Will this one end up in the paper?" In my last case, a couple was getting a divorce and the husband was very rich and the owner of a famous restaurant. Since I got him a pretty good deal in the divorce, I ended up in the news as one of the best lawyers in the city. That day I was requested in almost 10 new cases, obviously I didn't take them all.

"Probably not," I said. "Listen, Peter. Lanie invited me to go to a new bar with her, and I need to get ready. How about we go out tomorrow? Dinner, movie? Anything you want, love."

"My Kate, I can't wait. I miss you so much, darling."

"Me too," I said, feeling guilty because I didn't, not really. Oh, God. What was wrong with me? I hadn't seen the guy I was going to marry for three days and I really didn't miss him. In fact, I was slightly glad that I haven't seen him.

"I don't want you to be late, so, goodnight. I love you."

"You, too."

Since Lanie asked me to dress 'A-MA-ZING', I chose my red dress made by Valentino that hugged me in all the right places. With it I wore high heels that made me look really tall. I am not really a fan of wearing a lot of makeup, so I just used my eyeliner, mascara and a nude lipstick. Feeling good with myself, I was ready to drink some wine while I listened to other people conversation.

When we got to the bar, I felt like I didn't belong in this world anymore. Lanie, beside me, was talking about something that Javier, her boyfriend, did. It probably was something pretty good because she was telling the story with such energy. I almost felt jealous of her; Javier was creative and a perfect boyfriend. Peter was boring. He never did anything extraordinary; everything was ordinary just like me. Ah, how I wished I was 'A-MA-ZING', as Lanie would put it.

The bar was flooded with good energy, I could feel it around me but it didn't try to enter in my world.

Lanie stopped telling her story and was waiting for my comment. I had no idea what Javier did so I just answered with some response that fit everything.

"How nice of him." I said and gave her my biggest smile.

"You weren't listening me!" She said, once again proving how much she really knew me.

"Of course I listened, but since you don't believe me, could we please order a drink? I could really use one about now."

"Sure," She said, eyeing me suspiciously.

On days like those I was a bad friend. I was a selfish person when I was sad.

While nursing my martini I looked around. I could see some good looking guys drinking beer or whisky and checking out the girls, probably searching for a one night stand. When Peter and I started dating, sometimes I betrayed him with some of these random guys that I would find in the bars. It was not that I thought it was right, I knew it was wrong, but I needed sex and my relationship with Peter wasn't in that stage. Tthat night I wasn't searching for a night stand although Peter was a boring man he usually kept me satisfied in the bedroom.

Lanie was looking around too, judging the place and seeing if I was good enough for us to come back again. For me, it was perfect. The atmosphere was good, the guys were good looking and everybody was dressed perfectly. The drinks were good and the service was good enough that I didn't need to look stupid by waving my hands and waiting for someone to come to me and ask what I would want to drink. The best part, though, was that It didn't have the gross peanuts for the customers.

Lanie started talking about her day and the newest case. She was basically a me for the NYPD. This time I was paying attention to what she was saying, and her life usually gave me a good escape from my own thoughts. After my fourth drink I had to stop; the vodka was making my head spin a little.

"And you, Kate. What's news in your life?"

"I met Richard Castle in a coffee shop," I said really fast, kinda hoping that she didn't hear and that we could move on to the next subject.

"What?" She screamed and a couple of people looked at us like they wondering if we drank too much and couldn't handle our liquor.

"He approached me in the coffee shop near my office, you know, the one that makes the best coffee in all New York and asked for my number. I was like: oh my god, really? My number?! But I acted cool, not really in the mood to be witty and not wanting to pass the idea that I was easy since I am engaged."

"I imagine! So, do you think he will call? Did you make sure he knew you are engaged?"

"Yes, after he asked for my number I showed him my ring but he still asked for my number, said he wanted to be just be friends since I was engaged," I responded, my head feeling light from the drinks.

"Baby, I know you cheated on Peter at the beginning of your relationship but you shouldn't do it now. You guys are engaged, I don't like him and I know that you don't love him as much as you say but that doesn't give you the right to cheat on him. If you feel the need to search for another guy for every need you have, you should end it. He is boring but he is a nice guy and really loves you, he doesn't deserve that. So if you are planning on sleeping with Richard Castle you have to break off with Peter," Lanie said, sounding too serious for a conversation in a bar, but she was right, Peter didn't deserve that.

"Lanie, I know, and I am not planning on sleeping with him, just chill out! Do you want another Bloody Mary?" I asked trying to change the focus of our conversation; I rarely liked being on spot since I was a private person and I was almost sure that if I have a chance to sleep with Richard Castle I wouldn't want to. He was very handsome and I usually sleep around, but I didn't want to be one of his conquests.

Lanie got the message and let the subject go. We spent the rest of the evening talking about so much but nothing at the same time. At 1am I called the night- I needed to go home and get some sleep.

I was tipsy enough to just hit the bed, without any of my pills. After almost a decade and a half of my mother's death, I still had panic attacks at night and trouble sleeping, maybe some things were forever; my mom wasn't here anymore but those little problems were reminders that a long time ago she walked on the earth.

Richard Castle (RCPOV)

Arriving at home I found my daughter, Alexis, watching a movie with so much attention that she didn't see me come in.

I loved Alexis so much that a long time ago I became content with just being her father. I had been married twice, first with Alexis' mother who I never really loved and just married to do "the right thing" and then with Gina another one that I didn't love but could be a female model for Alexis since she was entering her teen years. With Gina I was proved wrong; I discovered that she was the kind of woman that I didn't want my daughter to become.

"Hey, pumpkin. How are you?" I said trying to get her attention.

"Hi, dad. I'm good. How are you?" She answered me changing her attention from the movie to me.

"I am good, too. What are you watching?"

"Pride and Prejudice, my favorite."

"Okay, sorry to interrupt. I am going to the office; if you need anything just tell me."

"Sure. Bye, dad." She said already changing her attention back to the movie.

With nothing to do and still with Katherine on my mind, I sat once again in front of my computer and stared at the black page that continue to mock me since I didn't have anything to put on it. Katherine, or Kate, how I wanted to call her even if we weren't close, well- we were nothing more than two people that have met sometime in their life time.

Her business card was burning on the front pocket of my jeans screaming at me to call her. I wanted to wait, not wanting to sound too anxious or pass the wrong message. With the card in front of my face I stared at it like It had the power to make Kate appear on my doorstep or tell me some secret of hers that it might have heard while it was in her bag.

Feeling too tempted to call Kate, I dropped the card besides my computer and ordered a pizza to eat with Alexis. Tomorrow I would definitely call even if I needed a glass or two of my oldest whisky to make up the courage. I had to call her.