A/N: Thank you for all your kind reviews :)
Richard Castle sat anxiously at the table, his foot nervously tapping. He was sure the woman behind the counter hated him, throwing a glare his way at his insistent tapping.
The coffee shop was quiet, a surprise, because the few times Rick Castle had been here, the coffee was amazing.
The light chime of the doorbell rang through the shop, and Rick instantly looked up. Disappointment ran through him, when he noticed it was a young couple walk in, their hands entwined.
He stared back at the table, not noticing the shadow falling over him.
"Hey." He heard a quiet voice. Rick looked up to see Kate standing there, teeth guarding her bottom lip.
"Kate hi."
Kate sat down, staring around.
It was awkward, she felt awkward. Kate looked down at her hands, taking a deep breath. "Um the picture?"
As if he was just remembering why he was there, Castle dug around in his pocket. He pulled out the Polaroid, sliding it on the table.
A flicker of recognition passed over Kate's face. It was a family favorite. Her mother and herself had been caught up in a joke her father had been telling. It was a terrible joke, but they were all together; that's all that mattered.
Kate ran her fingers over the shiny surface. "It seems pretty important." Castle spoke.
"Yeah, it is. Thank you." Kate said quietly. She made a move to leave.
"Hey, I was thinking... do you want to sit and have coffee with me?" Castle asked hopefully.
Kate glanced from him, to the door, and back again. She wordlessly sat.
"So, how did you find it?"
"Straightforward. I like it." Castle commented.
Kate raised an eyebrow, a smirk on her face. "My daughter found it."
"Daughter huh?" Kate asked. Her smirk had slightly decreased, but if Rick wasn't so sure, he knew something was bothering her.
"Yeah, we were at the park, and she found it on a bench, buried in the snow."
"Tell her I say thank you, and that I appreciate it a lot." Kate said sincerely, her fingers tracing over the photo. "What's her name?"
"Alexis. She's only 6, but acts like she's 16. In a good way, more mature than me, but I don't know where she gets that from. I know her mother or I aren't by any means the most responsible and- I'm rambling, aren't I?" Castle said sheepishly.
Kate shook her head, the smirk growing. "It's cute. I've never met a guy who talks so proudly about his daughter. You set a good example Castle."
"Castle? Call me Rick." He replied.
"What about you Kate?"
Kate shrugged, and was about to speak when a waitress approached. "Can I get you guys anything?"
Kate shook her head, while Castle ordered his coffee, plus a slice of cake.
"Hey you're Richard Castle, aren't you?"
Castle stared up at the waitress, glancing at her name-tag. "Why yes Jessie, I am." He sent her a grin, not as bright as usual, because, for some reason, he didn't want to give Kate the wrong impression.
"OMG! I love your books so much! You know, all my friends and I thought you were going out with that super skinny model, but you're here!" Jessie squealed, eyes bouncing between the writer and Kate. Jessie leaned in slightly. "I think your date is way prettier by the way." She whispered, only so he could hear.
"Thank you, I think so too." Castle whispered back. He glanced back at Kate, who was confused, obviously not hearing the conversation.
"Am I missing something?" Kate asked.
Castle shook his head.
"I was just saying how pretty you are. You guys are a really cute couple." Jessie complimented.
"Thanks, but we're not a couple." Kate stated.
"Oh." The waitress said, disappointment evident in her voice. "It's just- You guys are so perfect, and I really didn't want to interrupt, because I can feel the chemistry between you guys and- I should really get back to work." She rambled, looking annoyed at herself, as she rushed away.
"Does this happen daily?" Kate asked curiously.
He shrugged in reply. "Only when I have a pretty date in front of me."
"So everyday." Kate mumbled lowly, Castle barely catching it.
Man, what was the media saying about him? He was not a playboy, well not anymore and he really didn't want Kate to see him like that.
A coffee cup and chocolate slice were wordlessly placed down in front of him.
"Thank you." Castle thanked Jessie.
"No problem." She smiled brightly, heading back to the counter.
He turned back to face Kate, who was fully concentrated on the picture.
"You okay?"
The words seemed to shake Kate, who visibly flinched.
"I'm fine."
The lie easily slipped off her tongue, the words meticulously rehearsed. This time wasn't any different, except she could tell he didn't believe her.
"Aren't you hungry?" Castle asked.
"Still full from breakfast." It wasn't fully a lie. She didn't have any breakfast, but her appetite had been nearly non-existent for a while.
"You're sure?"
Why couldn't he just be like every other guy, and drop it?
Her jaw clenched. "Can we just drop it?"
"Yeah, sorry." He apologized.
Kate took a deep breath, feeling slightly guilty. "Sorry for snapping-"
"There's no need to apologize, it was my fault."
"Tell me more about Alexis." She said, genuinely interested.
Alexis, a perfect distraction.
"Alexis is amazing, sometimes I wonder if she's even my daughter, she's that mature. And she's smart too. Quoting Shakespeare, and of course Poe, who doesn't love Edgar Allen Poe? And she's an old soul too. Don't get me wrong she loves playing with kids her own age, especially Paige, but she's got a way with adults too." Castle said proudly.
"She sounds amazing." Kate complimented.
A light bulb went off in Castle's head. "You should come and meet her." He yelped excitedly.
Kate winced. "I really don't think that's a good idea."
"It'll be fine. She's always complaining that all my- um." He coughed, looking sheepish and uncomfortable. "Companions treat her like a baby."
"What makes you think that I wont treat her like a baby?" Kate asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Because you're different. Any other girl would have taken my offer up straight away, they would've been turned off that I had a kid, but they would've acted fake anyway. You're different Kate." He said convincingly.
"Yeah well, I'm not any other girl."
No she wasn't. It was cliche and sappy, but Kate was special. She was guarded too, her eyes withholding the spark in the picture. Kate Beckett was a mystery he wanted to solve.
"What do you do Kate? Job, student?"
Kate coughed a little. "I'm a cop."
Wow, how many layers were there to the Kate Beckett parcel?
"A cop?" He repeated in question.
"What's the matter with that?"
Rick held his hands up in surrender. "N-Nothing, it's just... someone like you-"
"Someone like me?" Kate interrupted, leaning forward. "Please tell me your assumptions." She challenged.
"Upper middle class." He guessed. "You're parents successful, I'd say doctors, nurse, lawyers; that area..."
Her face was giving away too much, she knew that. But it was hard to keep the facade up when he was getting everything close.
"You... I'm stuck." Rick admitted, studying her closely. "Something happened that changed you."
They were looked in a stare down, the only sounds being the background chatter of the surrounding people.
Kate broke out into a grin, a laugh escaping her. "That's real great Castle, really funny."
"Castle?"
"It's a cop thing. But you're good at making stories Rick, no wonder you're an author." Kate said, her smile burying her real feelings.
Castle was staring at her, puzzled. She was hiding something, he could always tell by the eyes.
Her smile never reached hers, and they were dull. The sparks in the picture not quiet matching up.
"You're okay, right?" He asked her suddenly.
An unreadable look crossed her face, before the smile took over again. "I'm fine, really."
Her eyes traveled down to her watch, hoping for a distraction. "Wow, we've been talking for 2 hours."
"Oh wow." He said, following as she stood. He would've said a cheesy line like 'time flies when I'm with you'
Yeah, he would've, if it was anyone but her.
"I'm sure you have better things to do, than talk to me-"
"Hardly." He muttered.
"Plus I need to do... something. But this was... it was nice." Kate said, shrugging her jacket on.
"Wait." Castle grabbed a pen out, uncapping the top with his mouth and grabbing Kate's hand.
"What are-"
"There." Castle finished. Kate rose her eyebrows at the fresh ink on her palm. "It's my number and address, because I still want you to come- I mean I still want Alexis to meet you." Castle explained, following her out the door.
"I still don't think it would be a good idea."
"I think it'll be great."
Kate bit her lip, hesitancy in her eyes. "Um when should I?"
When. That was good; it meant there was some possibility she was thinking it over.
"You could come over today, at like 5ish, because Alexis finishes school at 3, but loves to study. Only if you want, I mean, you don't have to." Castle rambled.
"Well I'd hate to disappoint you- I mean Alexis." She teased with a small smile.
"Oh, I'm sure you never disappoint." Castle shot back.
With a sudden burst of confidence, Kate tiptoed, leaning close. "You have no idea."
She pulled back, walking away and leaving a speechless author.
Oh yeah, Kate Beckett was a puzzle; a complicated, beautiful mystery, that Richard Castle was determined to solve.
A/N: Presently, it's set in Autumn, nearly Winter. Because I love Winter.