A/N: Have I mentioned how awesome you all are? Because you truly, truly are and I love you guys for all your feedback and support. Thank you so much.

Disclaimer: For the millionth time, Castle is not mine.

Someone Like You

Chapter 18

He was still reeling from the feel of her mouth on his, her body pressed deliciously against his and their flirty banter when suddenly her hand gripped his tightly and pulled him out of his thoughts of having his way with her right there at the precinct. It almost felt like she was determined to break all the bones in his hand, but she had also gone silent all of a sudden and that playful aura that had been surrounding her since they had stepped into the elevator upstairs was gone.

Chancing a glance at her, he was shocked to find her pale and with wide eyes, looking at something behind them. He followed her gaze and his eyes fell on a tall man (really, really tall), good looking too, he thought with a slight jealousy. But from the look on Kate's face, he didn't think he needed to be jealous at all because she looked like she was doing her best not to run away in the opposite direction. And that was really saying something when it came to Kate Beckett.

"Kate?" he called her quietly and she seemed to snap out of her daze and look at him, shock, fear and uncertainty written clearly all over her face. Whoever this guy was, he had really done a number on her.

"Detective Beckett, Dr. Davidson here was looking for you, wanted to go upstairs to see you. Do you know him?" One of the uniforms at reception told her and he watched as Kate swallowed hard and nodded stiffly. "Alright. Looks like you don't even need to go upstairs, Doctor." The young uniform smiled at him and the man nodded his thanks.

"You made detective, Katie. That's great." Dr. Davidson – and Rick had a strong suspicion of who he really was – turned to them and smiled at her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked shortly, her voice barely above a whisper. Rick was surprised to hear the barely concealed anger in her tone; he had never seen her like this.

"I…" The doctor ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Can we go somewhere and talk? In private." He said and her hand tightened in Rick's once again. He ran his thumb gently on her skin, hoping it would somewhat calm her down.

"I don't have anything to say to you, Josh." She gritted her teeth and Rick looked at her, realizing for the first time that tears were welling up in her eyes. She had just confirmed his suspicions on who the mysterious man was and now he had to restrain his own anger toward him, for Kate's sake.

"Katie, please. At least hear me out. That's all I ask." He was almost begging her and if Rick hadn't known what the bastard had done to her and Tyler, he would have almost felt bad for him.

"You've got a one minute. Go." She said and Rick fought against the instinct to pull her into a hug, comfort her, something, anything to take away the pain evident in her eyes. He squeezed her hand and she looked at him, her eyes telling him about the tsunami of emotions that were running through her at that moment. He brought her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of it, earning a small, sad smile from her.

"I know I made a mistake back then, Katie. I know that. I…" The doctor took a deep breath and Rick felt he should be shielding Kate from his words. "I just wasn't ready. But then I saw you and… and my son that day and I realized how much I've missed."

"He is not your son." She hissed at him, eyes closed, hand squeezing the life out of Rick's. "You made that choice. You walked out of our lives when we needed you and now you have no right to just waltz back in here and ask for a second chance. You have no right." She spat out. "You don't even know his name, do you?"

He at least had the good grace to look ashamed, Rick thought to himself, as he caressed her skin with his thumb.

"I want to fix that, Katie. I really do. He looks so much like you." He breathed, as if in awe and Rick tried hard not to roll his eyes at him. But then again, the good doctor seemed so focused on convincing Kate that he could be a door for all he cared.

"No." She said, the finality in her tone unmistakable. "Let's go." She told Rick and started to pull him towards the door.

"Katie, he doesn't have to grow up without a father. Not anymore. Let me fix it." Josh called out after her and Rick felt her stop, his words clearly shaking her. He watched as the doctor ran after them and grabbed Kate's arm. That was Rick's limit.

"Back off." He said quietly, the venom in his voice obvious.

"This doesn't concern you." The doctor dismissed him and turned back to Kate, who was all but boiling with anger now. "Katie, please."

"Josh, just leave right now. Get the hell out of our lives." She said slowly, her eyes ablaze. "We don't need you. We have been doing just fine for the past eight years. Yeah, that's how old he is. His name is Tyler. Tyler James Beckett. He is my son and I don't want you anywhere near him. Are we clear?" She finished in a whisper, but it almost felt like she had just punched the doctor in the face, he looked so stunned.

"Katie, just give me a chance. We can make this work again." He insisted, but Kate just shook her head.

"No." she said coldly and Rick was proud to hear her voice so firm when he knew she was probably on the verge of breaking down. "Rick, let's please just get out of here." She turned to him and whispered and he nodded, wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her closer in an attempt to comfort her.

As they walked out, Rick looked back and watched as Josh's shoulders slumped in defeat. Serves him right, he thought with a vengeance. He deserved much worse for what he did to the woman he loved, who was currently trying to fight the tears threatening to escape. She looked straight ahead, but he could see her chin quivering slightly and her jaw tightening as she gritted her teeth to keep the tears at bay. He wanted so badly to take all her pain away. He knew how she felt, having dealt with Meredith's lack of interest for Alexis, but this was probably a whole new level of pain.

They walked in silence for a few blocks, his arm cradling her to his side tightly, paparazzi be damned. Right now he just needed to comfort her, to make her feel better. When her shoulders started shaking slightly, he stopped and pulled her into a convenient located alley that was just a few feet away. Rick pulled her into his arms when they were somewhat secluded, and hugged her tightly, whispering in her ear that it was going to be okay and that he loved her. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she pulled him as close to her body as she could, her face burrowed into his neck as her sobs rocked through his body, her pain becoming his.

He let her cry for as long as she needed, never letting her go. She needed to feel safe and loved and that was what he was aiming for. A good twenty minutes later, she pulled away from him, her eyes puffy and red rimmed.

"I'm sorry." She whispered and he shook his head, his hand cupping her cheek.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, love. Don't even think that." He assured her and she nodded, her chin quivering slightly as another tear slipped out. He brushed it away with his thumb and leaned in to press a kiss to her tear stained cheek.

"I just didn't want you to see that. I can't believe he had the nerve to come asking for another chance." She took a deep, calming breath, but it still came out shakily. "And on your birthday of all days. I'm sorry." She shook her head, but he stopped her, framing her face with his hands, his eyes locking on hers.

"Stop apologizing, Kate. I don't care if it's my birthday. Not when you're in pain. I honestly feel like coming back there and beating the shit out of him for everything he's done to you and Ty." He pressed his lips against hers for a moment and rested his forehead on hers. "I love you. That means that I'm here through the good stuff and the bad stuff. You've got me for as long as you want me. Alright?"

She nodded, another tear slipping out from the corner of her eye, but this time he could see the pain being overshadowed by what he liked to believe was her love for him.

"I love you." She whispered, her hold on him tightening. "So much, Rick. So much." She let out a breath and hid her face against his neck, breathing him in.

"We're going to be okay, Kate. I promise." He pressed a kiss to her hair and held her close. He would stay there with her for as long as she wanted.

"You're going to be late for your own party if you don't leave now." She told him, stretching her arms over her head. It was past 8pm already and they were still nowhere on the senator's daughter's murder.

After crying her eyes out in Rick's arms earlier, she had managed to compartmentalize her emotions and put Josh and everything his presence brought out in a little drawer at a dark corner at the very recess of her mind. She needed to get back to work and catch this girl's killer and she couldn't do that when she was having an emotional breakdown. Rick had been great, though. Even though it was his birthday and she had been quiet and withdrawn for the rest of the day, he hadn't pushed her, hadn't been asking incessantly if she was fine. She really appreciated that he was giving her space, that he understood what she was going through.

Something that Josh had said, however, had stuck. Tyler didn't have to grow up without a father. As tempted as she may have been at the promise of her little boy actually having a father figure to look up to, she couldn't trust that Josh would keep his word. What if she let Tyler get to know him, only to have Josh bail on them again later, leaving her son brokenhearted? It just wasn't worth it. But then again, the fact that he didn't have a father figure in his life stuck out to her like a sore thumb. He was growing up fast and he needed someone to look up to.

Looking at Rick now as he watched her, eyebrows raised at what she had said, she wondered if maybe she had already found that father figure, however forward that was of her to even be thinking about. Richard Castle was an amazing father and son; he loved her and definitely cared about her kid. This could be it. But this could also go horribly wrong and Tyler would end up brokenhearted either way.

God, why did this have to be so hard?

"I'm not leaving you here to work through the night by yourself." He narrowed his eyes at her and she rolled hers at him.

"I'm not. I just want to check a few more things. You can go ahead and entertain your guests and I'll come by in an hour or two." She insisted, but he just shook his head. "Ryan and Esposito won't let me stay here long, right, boys?" She turned to her fellow detectives for support.

"Don't worry, bro. We'll escort her to your party soon enough. And we won't be long either." Esposito reassured him and Kate sighed in relief. As much as she loved Rick and he had been more than amazing today, she needed a minute alone to sort out her thoughts and she couldn't do that with him watching her every move.

"Alright. Don't let her convince you that you have to work through the night." Rick told the boys and Kate chuckled, shaking her head.

"Tell Tyler I'll be there soon, okay?" She said when he leaned down to give her a kiss. "And thank you for earlier." She whispered and their lips touched.

"You hanging in there?" he murmured, pulling back slightly to look in her eyes.

"Yeah, don't worry. Go enjoy your party, birthday boy." She grinned at him and he kissed her again, just an innocent peck as they were well aware that they had an audience.

"You're staying over tonight, right?" he asked quietly and she nodded as he pushed her hair back behind her ear.

"Left my bag there when we dropped Tyler off with your mom earlier."

"Alright. Don't take too long. Love you." He pressed his lips to hers once again and stood up.

"Love you too." She said quietly and he winked at her, walking towards the elevator.

"You two are so sickeningly sweet you make my teeth hurt." Ryan commented after Rick had disappeared into the elevator.

"Shut up, Honey Milk." She threw a pencil at him and felt a little more comforted at her partners' laugh.

"Mom!"

Tyler came running towards her as soon as she entered the loft. Rick had greeted them at the door, kissing her chastely on the lips and was now leading the boys and Lanie towards the bar. Her son crashed into her and almost made her lose her balance with his enthusiasm. She laughed in joy at seeing her little boy and picked him up, hugging him close. She hadn't had much time earlier when she had picked him up from school and dropped him off at Rick's with Martha and Alexis, but now all the emotions Josh had brought out of her earlier came dangerously close of resurfacing at her son's body pressed against hers.

"Hi, baby. How are you doing?" She showered his face with kisses, making him giggle happily and he threw his arms around her neck.

"Good. We played laser tag after you dropped me off. I finally beat Lexi." He grinned proudly and she smiled at him.

"I'm so proud of you." She told him and his smile only got bigger. "Are you having fun so far?"

"Yeah. Rick loved his present, by the way. He promised we're going to have an epic Xbox battle first thing in the morning." He said happily. "We are staying over tonight, right?"

"Yes, we are." He grinned at her response and gave her a peck in the cheek.

"Awesome. Hey, Lexi! Guess what!" He called out as he struggled to get down from Kate's arms. "Love you, mom." He added before running off into the living room.

Kate shook her head, amused, at her child's energy and excitement and made her way to where Rick had set up the bar at the kitchen island. Greeting her friends again, she accepted a glass of wine from Rick and leaned into his side, willing herself to relax. She was not going to let Josh get her down.

"He is finally out." She sighed, entering Rick's bedroom. Tyler had been a bundle of energy all night and she had finally managed to get him to sleep, a little over 1am.

"Lots of sugar and excitement." Rick commented, taking off his shoes and throwing himself on the bed. "God, I'm so tired." He moaned and she chuckled.

"Welcome to my life." She teased, taking off her necklace with her mother's ring and her father's watch before placing them on his nightstand. "You still up for one more present?" she asked, stepping out of her heels, moaning in pleasure when her feet hit the ground.

"From you? Definitely." He sat up in bed, eyeing her up and down, desire reflecting clearly in his gaze. Kate laughed and shook her head.

"We'll get to that soon enough, stud. I have something I wanted to give you." She finished quietly, suddenly feeling nervous about this whole thing. Maybe this was a bad idea.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure I'll love it, Kate." He reassured her as if sensing her hesitation.

She grabbed her bag and pulled a wrapped parcel from it. Taking a deep breath, she sat down on the bed next to him and handed him the gift, her nerves going into overdrive. God, please let him understand and treasure this as much as she did.

He looked at her expectantly and curiously as he took the present from her hands. Carefully unwrapping it, she watched as his eyes widened and he looked back at her, confused. Sitting on his lap was her tattered copy of the very first book she had ever read written by him, the only one she had ever gotten signed.

"Kate." He breathed, apparently not really knowing what to say. She touched his hand and offered him a small smile.

"Open it." She encouraged him and watched as his eyes ran over the words on the first page, his handwriting cursively spelling out the words she had needed so badly to hear back then.

Dear Kate,

Things will get better. Keep your head up and smile.

Richard Castle

"What…" he swallowed hard and Kate bit her lip, still questioning the wisdom of her actions. "I… when was this? When did I sign this for you?"

"Almost nine years ago." She said quietly, a small wistful smile playing in her lips as she laced her fingers through his. "I waited in line for hours that day. Took the day off and went to your book signing over at 5th Avenue."

"Almost nine… but you were…"

"Pregnant, yeah. I had just found out. Josh had left about a month before and I was probably ten weeks into it." She took a deep breath and looked down at their joined hands before continuing. "My life was falling apart, but coming home to read your stories made my days a little better. I started after mom died and only held onto them more after Josh left and I was alone and pregnant and dealing with my father's problems. Because all your stories had a happy ending, justice was always served, the killer was always punished. I figured that if I couldn't have mine, at least I could lose myself for a couple of hours in your words." She looked up at him and found his eyes had welled up with tears.

"I don't remember this. I… I'm sorry I don't remember." He pleaded with her, but she shook her head, dismissing it and placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "Why did I write this? Did you say anything about what was going on then?" He scooted over to the head of the bed and pulled her with him. She settled between his legs, relaxing against his chest.

"You asked me why a pretty girl like me looked so sad." She smiled up at him before focusing on playing with his fingers that were locked in her right hand. "I was so excited to meet you, but I guess I still looked like a mess. I told you I had just lost my mom and you noticed the small bump I was already showing, but you didn't say anything about that. You just stood up and gave me a hug and wrote that in my book."

"Did it help?" He asked quietly, his voice filled with emotion. She turned her head to look at him, her hand reaching up to touch his cheek.

"You have no idea, Rick." She whispered before pulling him down for a kiss. "Thank you for getting me through this." She said against his lips and turned around, straddling his hips, to give him a hug. He hugged her back tightly. "I love you." She murmured in his ear and his hold on her only tightened.

"Thank you." He said fervently after a few minutes and she pulled away slightly to look at him. A tear had escaped the corner of his eye and she reached up to wipe it away with her thumb. "I don't even know what to say. You have no idea what this means to me, love. No idea." He framed her face in his hands as he was so fond of doing and pressed his lips against hers in a heated kiss. "I love you so much." He whispered against her lips. "So much."

And just like nine years before, he managed to lift the weight from her shoulders with his words.

A/N: Thoughts?