A/N: I feel completely redundant here, but all I have to say is thank you. Your support to this story has been utterly amazing. The sheer amount of alerts (not to count the reviews) is just about to surpass Touch (which was my first big story in the Castle fandom) and that's just mindblowing. You guys are amazing. I could not ask for better readers, really.

Okay, so the original plan for this chapter was for it to be much longer. But after a lot of debate (thank you so much, beetlebug and phoebsfan, for putting up with my whining), I decided that this part should stand on its own. So I hope you like it and that you're still enjoying it.

Disclaimer: Not mine. But I'll return them all in one piece, I promise.

Someone Like You

Chapter 9

"Please say something, Kate."

She heard his voice at the same time that she became aware that they were still standing inside the elevator and there were people looking at them strangely, waiting for them to get out, so they could get in. She closed her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath to try and steady her racing heart. When she opened them again, Rick was watching her with an apprehensive look.

"Let's get out of here first." She told him, her voice remarkably steady. He nodded and they stepped out of the elevator, walking towards the entrance of the precinct. They stood on the sidewalk, not really sure which direction they should take.

"Can you take a lunch break? We can drive somewhere, if you want. Somewhere more private." He suggested and she only nodded, her mind still trying to catch up at the sudden turn of events.

Of course things couldn't be easy. Nothing was ever easy in her life and the thought that she had finally found a nice guy who she could have possibly dove into a relationship with sounded entirely too good to be true. But then again, she wasn't going to solve anything by feeling sorry for herself. And if she was really honest here, she had caused this. She was the one who had kissed him; she was the one who had initiated all physical contact between them the day before.

So this was her fault.

They got into his car and Rick quickly drove them away from the precinct. It almost felt like they were fleeing the scene of a crime, which if you really thought about it, was kind of true. She was quiet for a long time, just watching the streets pass by the window, the snow banks slowly melting as the sun shone brightly overhead. It was still intensely cold and she now regretted leaving her scarf and leather gloves at the precinct. Her hands were freezing. Maybe this was what shock felt like, she thought, rubbing her hands together. She could feel Rick's eyes on her, but for now she needed to put her thoughts into some kind of order.

There was a picture of her on the internet. A picture of her kissing a celebrity. What the hell had she been thinking?

But that was exactly it, wasn't it? She hadn't been thinking. She cared about him, saw his pain and just reacted. It didn't even occur to her that they were in public and that someone could be taking their picture. Richard Castle was a hot topic right now. Recently divorced, new book skyrocketing on the market, already number 1 in the New York Times Best Sellers list. How could she have possibly forgotten about this entire aspect of his life?

She was brought back to reality as the car came to a standstill. She chanced a glance at Rick, but he was already out of the car and making his way to her side. Before she could even utter a word, he was opening her door, reaching out a hand in her direction. She looked at him for a moment, pondering just what could come out of whatever was about to happen between them. After a minute, she sighed and took his hand, getting out of the car. They were about a block away from one of the Central Park's entrances.

"Let's take a walk?" he asked quietly and she nodded, her cold hand reveling in the warmth of his skin. "Your hand is freezing, Kate." He commented and pulled her hand inside his coat pocket, lacing their fingers together. Kate hid her other hand in her own coat pocket.

They walked in silence until they reached Central Park. The sun was bright and reflecting on the white snow, giving her a slight headache. As they crossed into the park, Rick pulled her down a path that circled a lake. The scenery was beautiful and she wished they could be enjoying it under different circumstances.

"I'm sorry." She finally whispered after a good ten minutes of complete silence between them.

"About what?" he looked at her confused and they stopped their stroll around the lake.

"It's my fault. I was the one who kissed you in the first place." She looked away and sighed. "I keep forgetting you have a public image to maintain and I completely blew it."

"Kate… hey, look at me." He touched her chin gently and her eyes met his. It was amazing how intensely blue they were today. "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I've been doing this for a while now and I should be used to being careful about what I'm doing in public. But I completely forget about that when I'm with you. Yesterday? It didn't even occur to me that we were out in broad daylight. It just felt good, having you there with me. So good that I forgot about the damn paparazzi."

"But still, if I hadn't-"

"Do you regret it?" he interrupted her, his question catching her off guard.

"I… No, I don't think so." She swallowed hard and saw a tender smile appear on his lips.

"Then that's all that matters because you know I don't either." He pulled her slightly closer, until their chests were nearly touching and she felt her breath catch in her throat. "We'll just have to be more careful from now on."

"I'm not…" she sighed heavily, silently scolding herself for being so lousy with words. "I'm not sure I'm ready for this, though. I mean, we lead very different lives, Rick. The last thing I want is for a picture of mine to be public domain. I can't handle that."

She told him honestly and she really couldn't. Kate Beckett was an intensely private person and she valued that privacy a lot. She was not about to be thrown into the spotlight. And her job, how was she supposed to work and catch murderers when everybody knew who she was? And what scared her the most: she didn't want to be just another conquest in what was likely a long list in Richard Castle's life.

"That's why Gina is taking care of everything. She is working her ass off to take those pictures down and bury whatever story might be circulating about us. They don't know who you are, Kate. And if that's what you want, it will stay that way. They don't have to know." He touched her cheek, his thumb caressing her skin gently. "No one needs to know, if that's how you want it."

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek, then the other, his lips soft on her skin. Kate closed her eyes at his touch and felt his lips against hers next. He kissed her slowly, softly, and she couldn't help kissing him back. It was very reminiscent of the first kiss they shared only 24 hours before and, in the silence of the deserted, snowy Central Park, Kate felt her walls fading, one by one. His arms were now circling her waist, as her body molded against his. Her hands were trapped between their chests and she used them to pull him closer by the lapels of his coat.

"This is such a bad idea." She murmured when they pulled apart for air and tucked her head against his neck, placing a soft kiss to his skin.

"We'll make it work, I promise. But this?" he pulled her even closer, tightly against him. "I don't want to stop, Kate. I don't want to give this up." He kissed her neck and she finally wrapped her arms around him. "I can't. I told you, I can't walk away."

"I just don't want our kids to get caught up in this. I don't want them to get hurt." I don't want to get hurt, she added in her mind.

"I can't promise that it's going to be perfect. We both know it won't. But I am never going to hurt you or Tyler intentionally, that much I can promise you."

Kate closed her eyes, wishing desperately she could believe him. But she had been burned once and it still hurt. With a sigh, she pulled away to look at him.

"We keep this between us. Let's see where it goes first, without involving the kids."

"Alright." He agreed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"We take it slow. Are you okay with that?" she bit her lip and he smiled, kissing her concerned frown away.

"Absolutely." He beamed at her and she smiled back, excitement starting to bubble up inside of her. He kissed her again, backing her up against a nearby tree so they were mostly hidden from view.

"We should probably get going." She murmured after a few minutes. "I really have to get back to work."

He let one of his hands fall to her waist while the other remained on the tree where he had been efficiently trapping her for the past few minutes. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her closer and kissed her one last time. Then, with a sigh, he stepped away.

"And making out in the middle of Central Park is probably not the best idea." He whispered, taking her hand in his.

"Probably not."

She smiled and bit her lip in apprehension and excitement. She wasn't sure which one she should focus on, but right now she was giddy about this new development between her and Rick and had a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach that she still hadn't figured out if it was good or bad.

"Have you had lunch yet?" he asked as they made their way back to the nearest entrance. Her hand was comfortably tucked in his, hidden away inside his pocket.

"No. I was about to go grab something to eat when you showed up. I'll just buy something on the way." She told him, casting a glance at him. He was surveying their surroundings, probably checking for any unwanted photographers.

"Are you sure? We can get something to eat. I haven't had lunch either. I was about to when Gina showed up and then I came straight to see you."

"That's okay. I'll just grab a burger at Remy's. And you know, the less we are seen in public together, the better." She offered him a small smile and he squeezed her hand.

"I promise it's not always this bad." He intertwined their fingers, his thumb gently caressing her skin. "There's just a lot going on right now with the book and all the signings and appearances. It'll get better."

"I know, it's just… this is a complete one-eighty from my life, you know? I doubt I'll ever get used to it, to the spotlight." She shook her head, pensively, and decided to change the subject before she chickened out on this whole thing. "So what are you planning for Alexis' birthday, anyway? You never finished telling me about it yesterday."

"We'll just have a small party for her at the loft. She invited a few friends from school, we're having cake, opening presents and that's about it. She doesn't want anything more than that." He shrugged, but she caught the sad, faraway look on his face. "You'll come, right? You and Ty?"

"Saturday, right?" she asked and he nodded. "Sure. I'm on call again this weekend, but even if I get called in, I'll drop Tyler off there, if that's okay with you."

"Of course it's okay. Alexis is going to love having Tyler there. It's amazing how fast they hit it off, isn't it?"

"It's amazing how fast we hit it off, Rick. Not the kids." She laughed and he chuckled, nodding.

"True. But hey, at least it's something good. Right?"

He turned to look at her for confirmation, insecure. It was baffling how this famous, rich and attractive guy could feel insecure about her. It should be the other way around. She should be the insecure one. And to be honest, she was. In the back of her mind, there was a part of her that still screamed bad idea about this whole thing. A relationship with a bestselling novelist, who just happened to be her favorite author? If she hadn't been standing right there, her hand in his, having just made out like teenagers behind a tree, she would have considered herself delusional. Completely and utterly crazy.

"Yeah, it's something good." She assured him and bumped her shoulder on his playfully. The smile that appeared on his lips made her want to kiss him again. "So what time should we drop by on Saturday?"

"Around 3, I guess." She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder for a moment. "Meredith says she's coming." He said quietly. Kate pulled away to look at him.

"Her mom?" She asked gently.

"Yeah. I haven't told Alexis yet. I don't want her to be disappointed when she doesn't show." He told her, a sad, frustrated tone to his voice.

"She's her mom. How can she not show up for her own daughter's birthday? She'll be there, Rick." She tried to reassure him, but he had already told her some of the actress' track record when it came to Alexis.

"You'd be surprised." He smiled sadly and opened the car door for her. "I just don't want her to ruin it. Alexis deserves a special birthday after everything, you know?" he said, settling behind the wheel. Kate took his hand and placed a comforting kiss on top of it.

As they drove back to the precinct, Kate tried to take his mind off of Alexis' mother impending visit by telling him about Tyler's science project that she had been working on with him and how her little boy was so excited. She was relieved when she managed to make him laugh and even offer some input on the project.

When Rick parked in front of Remy's, he turned to look at her and they were silent for a moment, each seemingly lost in their own thoughts. Kate sighed leaned in close to give him a quick kiss. Before she could pull away, though, his hand found its way to her hair and he held her in place, thoroughly kissing her. A couple of minutes later, when they pulled apart, she was breathless and was glad to see that she wasn't the only one. He grinned at her happily and pulled her in for another kiss, slower this time, gentler.

"I really love the fact that we can do this now." He murmured against her lips and she smiled. "Are you going to think it's creepy and weird if I tell you I wanted to do this since day one?"

She kissed him again, sucking on his bottom lip. "No." She told him with a grin. She had wanted him from day one too. Before that, even. But she was not going to tell him that. "So, see you Saturday?"

"See you Saturday. Even if you get called in, come by later? I'll save you a piece of cake." He grinned and she laughed, shaking her head.

"You got it." She told him and he pulled her in for another breathtaking kiss. "Rick, I have to go. Really." He showered her face with butterfly kisses and she giggled. Honest to god giggled. It was embarrassing. "I'll call you later." She said when he finally released her and he smiled.

He looked so carefree when he smiled like that and she was the one causing that, she thought as she got out of the car, the butterflies tap dancing in her stomach.

She just hoped to god she didn't end up regretting this.

A/N: For the record, I have never been to Central Park (sadly), so everything came from my imagination and a bit of research. Anyway, love it, hate it? Should I keep going ot stop writing altogether? Tell me what you think.