A/N: Thank you so much. That is all.

Disclaimer: Not mine. But I'll give them back as soon as I'm done, promise.

Someone Like You

Chapter 5

He truly hoped that she wouldn't take that dedication the wrong way. He didn't want to scare her off, but what was he supposed to write? It couldn't be one of those impersonal autographs that he had been doing for the past three hours – his wrist was screaming at him already – and it couldn't be anything too personal. So he had opted for the in between, which pretty much defined their relationship (or friendship or whatever the hell it was) at that moment.

He just wanted her to understand that she mattered to him, but maybe calling her his Christmas present was a bit too forward? Damn it, he didn't know what he was doing here. At the same time that he was incredibly comfortable with her, he felt like they were walking on eggshells around each other when it came to this attraction that seemed to sizzle between them. At least he hoped it was a mutual thing.

It had to be, right? She had been giving off all those signals that she enjoyed being around him and she didn't complain when he invaded her personal space. He had been pushing his luck earlier today when she arrived, holding her close, but she didn't seem to mind. Well, obviously she was blushing and biting her lip – both of which he found incredibly sexy whenever it happened – but she never pulled away.

So that meant the attraction he was feeling was mutual. Or maybe he shouldn't jump to conclusions. Maybe she was just being nice. God, when did this thing get so complicated? He was usually a master when it came to charming the ladies. He always knew what to say, what to do. He could always read them like a book.

So why was Kate so different?

"Rick!" he heard Gina's voice next to him and came crashing down to reality.

"What?" he asked annoyed and she glared at him.

"You were just staring off into space. Do you need to take a break?" she asked and he shook his head, reaching for the glass of water on the table to take a sip.

She had been snapping at him ever since Kate had arrived and had already annoyed the crap out of him about putting some woman's name on the list. He had taken a deep breath then and closed his eyes. He tried to understand. They had gotten divorced six months before and it hadn't been pleasant. He had been really tempted to find another publicist back then, but Gina was very good at her job and had remained completely professional when it came to their careers. Until now.

He sighed and looked at the line. There were about twenty people still waiting to get their books signed. As tempting as taking a break right now sounded, he just wanted to get this over with to go hang out with Kate and the kids.

"No, that's fine. There are not a lot of people left, anyway. I'll just finish up here." He told her and she narrowed her eyes at him, as if trying to decide something about him, then turned around and walked away.

Was she jealous of Kate?

She didn't even know her, hadn't even seen them together, so what was up with that?

"Daddy?"

"Hi, pumpkin." He smiled at his little red head. She was getting so big. He was so glad she was okay now and had made it through that nightmare in November. He touched the braid that was falling over her shoulder and tugged lightly. "You having fun with Ty?" He asked, taking a book from the woman in front of him.

"Yeah, but we're hungry. Are you almost done?" Alexis asked, leaning against his side.

"Almost. Why don't you and Tyler go find Kate so you can be ready to go as soon as I'm done?" he suggested and the young girl rolled her eyes.

"Way ahead of you, daddy. She's right over there." She said proudly and pointed in Kate's direction. She was leaning against the wall in the corner that was closer to the signing area and smiled at him when their eyes met. Tyler was sitting on the floor, back against one of the bookcases, reading a comic book.

"Oh, you're too smart for me, my little genius." He tickled her side and she giggled. "Go wait with her and we'll go soon." He said and Alexis nodded, kissing his cheek, then ran off towards Kate. He shook his head, smiling after his little girl. His eyes locked on Kate's again and his smile only grew when she leaned her head against the bookcase, a small smile playing on her lips. He winked at her and forced himself to concentrate on his work. "Sorry about that." He apologized to the woman still waiting on her autograph.

"That's okay. She's adorable." The woman commented and Rick offered her a smile. His kid was indeed adorable, he thought to himself.

"Thank you, but don't let that angel face fool you. She's a handful." He chuckled. "What's your name?"

"Denise Williams." She said with a smile. "How old is she?

"Almost 8." He answered shortly, but still with a warm tone to his voice. He had never liked people asking too much about Alexis. "Here you go, Denise Williams. I hope you'll enjoy it." He offered a smile and shook her hand.

The last twenty books he signed passed in a blur. He smiled, asked their names, signed their book and shook their hands. It was almost a mechanical process and he was incredibly relieved when it was finally over. Stretching his body, he felt all his joints crack in protest for sitting still for too long. He was getting too old for this.

He stood up and looked up to find Kate and the kids making their way toward him.

"Just two more minutes, guys. I just have to check in with Gina and tell her I'm leaving." He told them and Kate nodded.

He walked into the room behind them and quickly told his publicist that he was leaving. Gina looked up and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Do I have to worry about doing damage control in the morning?" she sneered and he frowned, confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"When your picture with the new girlfriend and her son hits the internet, what do you think is going to happen? It's just going to make my life more difficult." She explained slowly, as if she was talking to a small child.

"Okay, one, Kate is my friend so watch your tone when you're talking about her. And two, she's not my girlfriend. Our kids are friends and we're taking them out to get something to eat, if you must know. Not that it's any of your business."

"What do you think people are going to think, Rick? You, her and the two kids. Perfect little family. They're going to start talking about you being taken again and that is not good publicity for you. Not right now."

"You're blowing this way out of proportion. I have to go." He told her and turned around to leave.

"Let's just hope she is not after your money." Gina called after him and he let out a heavy sigh, not even bothering to answer.

He met Kate, Tyler and Alexis right outside the room and from the look in Kate's eyes, he knew she had heard at least part of it.

"Come on, guys, let's go." He said and the kids ran off in front of them to the exit doors. When he was sure they were out of ear range, he grabbed Kate's hand, stopping her for a moment. "I'm sorry you had to hear that." He said gently, his thumb slowly caressing her skin.

"Don't worry about it, Rick." She shook her head, but didn't look at him.

"Kate." He touched her chin, making her look up at him. "You know I don't think any of that about you, right?" he insisted and she nodded, biting her lip. "Gina is just doing her job. She didn't handle it well, but that's probably because our divorce was kind of ugly."

"That's your ex-wife?" Kate said surprised. "No wonder she was looking at me like I was the lowest of the low." She murmured and Rick chuckled quietly.

"Yeah, don't worry about her. And don't let what she said get to you, alright?" he tugged on her hand, pulling her closer, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a sideways hug. "For what it's worth, I know you're not after my money. You just want to take advantage of my body. You can't fool me." He whispered in her ear teasingly and was very pleased when she shivered at his words.

"In your dreams, Castle." She elbowed him in the stomach lightly and laughed. He pouted and pulled her closer, placing a kiss on her temple.

They walked in silence until the entrance of the store where Alexis and Tyler were waiting, coats, hats and gloves already on. They were probably really hungry, Rick mused. Before they stepped out onto the street, he reluctantly pulled his arm away from her shoulders. As much as he would love to keep holding her close, Gina was partially right and he didn't want those leeches taking their picture. Kate didn't have to go through that, especially being a cop. She looked up at him questioningly and he shrugged apologetically.

"We don't want any pictures that might get us in trouble." He whispered to her and smiled sadly. "Gina was right about that part at least. I don't want to mess up your life, you know?"

She nodded and took Tyler's hand in hers while he wrapped an arm around Alexis' shoulders.

"So where are we going?" Tyler asked as they crossed the street.

"Well, there's this nice little diner a few blocks from here." Kate suggested. "The one we went with the boys the other day, remember, Ty?"

"Oh, yeah, that place is awesome. Their double cheeseburger is so good." He told Rick and Alexis, excitedly.

"You guys okay with going there?" Kate turned to Rick and he nodded with a small smile.

"Sure, sounds good to me. Pumpkin?" he looked down at Alexis and the girl nodded.

They walked the three blocks to the diner mostly in silence, except for Alexis and Tyler occasionally pointing something out they had seen. Rick stole looks at Kate and was starting to worry that what Gina had so carelessly said had really bothered her. And he couldn't have that. Things were going so well between them. He wasn't sure what was going on exactly, but he felt so good when he was with her that he didn't care. Even if she didn't reciprocate his feelings, he would be content with just hanging out with her as a friend.

The past few months had been hell and meeting Kate and her son was the best thing that had happened in a while. He didn't want to lose that.

As they entered the diner, Alexis and Tyler quickly ran ahead to choose a booth they could sit at. Before they followed the kids, Rick touched her arm.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked quietly and she nodded. "Are we okay?" he pressed, a little more hesitantly.

"Yeah, just…" she sighed and looked down to see his hand gently running up and down her arm. "I tend to forget you're a celebrity. This whole thing with your ex-wife just kind of put things in perspective for me, I guess."

"Kate…" he started, but she shook her head.

"Let's talk about this later? We can go back to my place and the kids can watch a movie or something."

"As long as we're okay." He insisted and she gave him a small smile.

"We're fine, Rick. Don't worry that pretty little head of yours." She teased and reached up to ruffle his hair, much to his dismay. "You'll get more wrinkles." That spark in her eyes was back and that was all he cared about.

"Ouch, Detective Beckett. That was so not cool." He nudged her side and they made their way to the booth where Tyler and Alexis were already checking the menu.

She laughed and he grinned. Yeah, they were going to be okay.

The drive to Kate's apartment was full of laughter as Alexis recounted one of Rick's many domestic accidents as he tried to entertain her. This time he had ended up with a sprained ankle and a few stitches on his arm when slipped and fell after breaking a glass of juice. Rick played being slightly put off by everyone laughing at his expense, but Kate caught him looking at her and the kids several times with a pleased smile.

After Kate parked the car in the garage, Tyler and Alexis ran to the elevator, arguing about who would get to press the button. Kate shook her head, amused, and followed them with Rick walking slowly next to her. She knew he would want to talk about what had happened with Gina and she wasn't sure she wanted to get into it again. The thing was that the fact that he was a celebrity and constantly under public scrutiny had never even occurred to her. She had been so caught up in solving the case and trying to wrap her mind around what was going on between her and Rick that she never stopped to think about that people could easily be taking their picture.

She wasn't sure she could handle that and that was just as his friend. For now she refused to think about him as something else, even though their actions clearly showed otherwise. The problem was that she was afraid to risk herself again and get burned. When Josh left her, she was completely broken. Just when she had thought that maybe she would be able to stand living without her mother, the guy who had told her he loved her countless times suddenly left her without even looking back. She had been 23 years old then, a rookie at the NYPD and pregnant. She was emotionally broken for a long time. It was Tyler who brought her back and her life revolved around him since then.

She had dated sporadically, but nothing that stuck and she had never let any of them get anywhere near her son. She wouldn't give them a chance to abandon them again, so she kept every single one of them at arm's length. Those relationships lasted a few months tops and then it was just her and Tyler again. She would not allow herself to get hurt like that again. She had the love of her son and that would always be enough for her.

What was going on between her and Rick, however, was spiraling completely out of her control. She wasn't in love with him obviously – because they had only known each other for a week and that was a completely ridiculous thought – but she knew that if they kept it up like they were now, falling for him seemed inevitable and she didn't like that. The fact that he was a public person just added fault to the case.

But now Tyler was already attached and she didn't know what to do.

And to think, just a few days ago her life had been so uncomplicated, she thought to herself as she opened the door and let everyone in. The kids immediately started discussing which movie they were going to watch and Rick and Kate left them to it. She made her way to the kitchen, knowing he would follow her, and opened the fridge. Grabbing two beers, she handed him a bottle and leaned against the counter, taking a sip of the cold beverage.

"You're thinking too hard, detective." He nudged her side and she chuckled. "Don't." he told her and reached for her hand. His touch was soothing and she felt herself relaxing.

He was making things a lot more difficult when he was sweet like that.

"There's a lot to think about." She said quietly and bit her lip, chancing a glance at him.

"Care to share?"

"I don't know." She answered honestly.

She wasn't sure if she should tell him what was in her mind. How she was afraid of what was happening, afraid that he would get bored and disappear from their lives; that Tyler would get hurt. That she would get hurt.

"Kate." His hold on her tightened slightly and she took another sip of her beer before looking up at him. "Let me help." He said simply and she sighed.

"These past few days… it's been a little overwhelming. Right? I mean…" she struggled to find the right words.

"Definitely overwhelming, yes." He agreed and she gave him a ghost of a smile.

"I mean, has this ever happened before with you? Because I have to keep reminding myself constantly that I have only known you for a week." She knew she was rambling, but now that she started she couldn't seem to stop the words from coming out. "I have no idea what's going on and it's always been just me and Tyler, you know? He is my life, that kid, and I don't want him to get hurt. I can't…" she took a deep breath, trying to put her thoughts in order. She wasn't even sure she was making any sense. "I can't let him get attached and then watch him suffer when you leave. I will never let him feel abandoned."

"Kate," he interrupted her rant and she looked up at him again, blushing slightly. "First, I don't know what's going on here either. And no, this has never happened before. Not this fast. I don't know what it is, but I just can't seem to get enough of your company." He admitted and she felt herself smiling at his confession. At least she wasn't alone in this whole thing.

"Same here." She confessed in a whisper and he chuckled quietly.

"And Alexis is already attached to you guys as well, so it's too late. You're not getting rid of us that easily." He said with a teasing tone and she snorted. "But I know where you're coming from. I'm a parent too, remember? A single parent, since her mother decided her career as an actress was more important than her 18-month-old daughter." Kate opened her mouth to say something, but he shook his head and tucked her hair behind her ear. "So I know exactly what you're feeling, exactly what you're afraid of."

"I don't know if it's worth the risk, though." She finally said after a beat. "Whatever it is between us, I mean." He looked away and she thought that maybe she was delusional and there was nothing much between them after all.

"What if it is, though?" he argued, squeezing her hand.

"We've only known each other for a week, Rick. We know nothing about each other. Nothing. I don't want to risk everything only to watch us crash and burn later, the kids included." She looked up at him and touched his chin, making him look at her. "You understand that, don't you?"

"But we can get to know each other." He countered and almost sounded like a little boy. She smiled, caressing his stubbly cheek.

"We can, yes." She agreed and he smiled. "Just as friends, though." She added.

"For now." He completed with a grin and she rolled her eyes, smiling nonetheless.

"For now." She acquiesced and he pulled her in for a hug. She narrowed her eyes at him and he shrugged.

"What, friends hug too, you know." He told her, that teasing sparkle clear in his eyes, and she gave in. "We'll make this work, Kate." His arms wrapped tightly around her waist and she wrapped hers around his with a sigh, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I know." She murmured against his neck. "When we're ready."

"Yeah." He kissed her temple, his lips lingering on her skin.

His warmth enveloped her in such a way that it was difficult to think. So she stayed there, her fears bubbling just underneath the surface. She would just have to hope against hope that he kept his word.

Because, God help her, she was already in too deep.

A/N: Tell me what you think?