As I said at the beginning, I have this story all outlined and know exactly where it's going. However, this next chapter was not planned. It's provided because keal and Jayce Gish mentioned some Rick/Jim time would be nice. I actually thought it was a great idea and it plays nicely into something I have planned for later, but hadn't quite worked out the how. See, reviews do matter! Thanks for the idea! Really appreciate it!

Chapter 12 – Movie & J.B

When his office door opened, Rick looked up from where he stood, making popcorn and pouring sodas over ice for his guests. Kate and her father would have worked things out easily enough. He sensed a closeness between the two, even if he imagined they tried to keep things light—a likely remnant of years spent supporting one another with a "laugh so we don't cry" philosophy. So, he was surprised to see her smile producing a different kind of dimple—the small, tight dimple that told when she was tense or irritated. It contrasted with her dad's elation.

Time to take her mind off things. Rick brought out a couple bowls of popcorn and the first round of drinks.

"We settled on Date Night. That alright?"

"I haven't seen it, so good with me."

Kate, on the other hand, had seen it, and was glad she wouldn't have to pay too much attention. She looked around debating where to sit. Martha sat regally in the lone chair. Alexis sat, busily texting, in one corner of the couch with her legs drawn up beside her. On the opposite end, was Sheryl, with her father settling in comfortably beside her. She couldn't see making Rick sit thigh to thigh with her father, but there was easily enough room for her to sit.

Rick returned with more drinks and watched as she slid her long form in next to Alexis.

"Scooch, pooch," she said as she lifted Alexis' legs and dropped them back over her own. She leaned in to Alexis and whispered into her ear causing her to giggle and say "'Kay."

Rick returned to his living room one more time, holding a plate and glass for Kate. He offered it to her, she accepted wondering why he was handing her a plate. Then she remembered how hungry she was and that she hadn't eaten…he was always trying to feed her. Why should she be surprised now?

"PB and J, Castle? What am I? Four?"

"You're welcome, Detective. Enjoy."

Rick was glad to see her smile, and she looked more relaxed there next to his daughter. He turned his attention to the movie that was starting and didn't turn back to her until she nudged him to take her empty plate. His eyes were on the movie, but his mind was very much focused on the women sitting behind him.

As much as Kate consumed his thoughts, his daughter was his other constant. He was worried about her. With Meredith, she was trying too hard. She was actually going to see her mother this year on Mother's Day. Since Meredith called last week saying she'd be in town to meet a producer, Alexis had been busy making plans. She was trying too hard, forcing a normal that simply didn't exist for her and her mother.

Rick shifted to lean an arm on the couch. It allowed him to glance at his daughter and Kate. They were snuggled together on the couch, Kate's arm wrapped across his daughter's shoulders. Alexis' head, rested below Kate's shoulder, so near the pad of her breast, that Rick's insides burned with the thought that if he could trade places with his daughter, just for a moment, he would die a happy man. Between the two of them, they sat hugging a pillow. They looked so natural together. He wished he could have made this a part of Alexis' formative years. But, it was too late for that. Still, he was glad they had Kate. Even if he couldn't have her forever, he knew he'd call on the serenity of this moment for the rest of his life.

When the movie was over, Rick wasn't surprised when Kate didn't linger. He called her a cab. Sheryl, Jim and Martha were enjoying one another's company and made no move to part ways. Kate didn't even seem mind that she was leaving her father and his girlfriend with people they'd met just hours ago. She briefly hoped her father would recuse himself from sharing any stories about her with Castle. Her willingness to risk endless teasing from Rick in favor of a solitary, restless night revealed the depth of her inner chaos.

After seeing Beckett to the door, Rick entered his office, intending to retrieve tickets to his mother's play for Jim and Sheryl, who seemed delighted at the idea of attending her show. Hearing knocking on his open door, Rick looked to see Jim Beckett standing there.

"May I?"

"Of course."

"Katie told me about all this." Mr. Beckett waved his hand at Rick's desk.

"I hope it's okay," Rick said, suddenly worried, more with him than he had been with Kate, that he had crossed some sort of line. Kate knew he pushed, but she also knew he cared. Jim Beckett didn't know that. Maybe he thought dwelling in the past wasn't a good way to move on.

"It's…" Again, Jim Beckett had no words to describe it. "It's an incredible gift you're giving my daughter."

"I can't think of anyone who deserves it more."

"I'd agree with you there. It looks like it's coming together well."

"Oh, it is. Beckett and I just finalized a bunch of details this morning. Still more to do, but, like you said, it's coming together well."

Jim chuckled, "It's still so weird to hear people call her Beckett. Even she does it when she answers her phone. To me, she's just Katie."

"In my head, she's Kate." Rick admitted.

"Head or heart, Rick?"

"Sir?"

He was answered with a stare—a penetrating stare. Rick didn't answer. He couldn't say something to Kate's father that he couldn't say to Kate. Sure, he knew, but he didn't think Kate wanted to know.

"You know, when I first started hearing about you, Katie was so…flustered. And mad. She went on and on about how the if the mayor were actually your friend, there's no way he'd allow you to put yourself in dangerous situations. She was pissed to think that by having to watch out for you, she was compromising the safety of her team. I believe her exact words to describe you were 'ink wielding rat' and she hated that you were using her and the NYPD as a gimmick for more endorsements, more money, more fame. But, what she hated the most was that this farce would distract from the victims and their families. She was so incredibly worked up."

"I promise you my intentions were never so nefarious, and though I did use my connections to begin following Kate, it only ever had to do with her." Whoa, that was too much. "Uh, I mean, the crime scenes, the victims…Kate's amazing to watch. So multifaceted. And, of course, the story behind the crimes, the victims intrigues me. As a writer, very good fodder. I'm not so arrogant and self-aggrandizing as I'm sure Kate has made me out to be."

"Oh, no-no, No. Don't misunderstand me. I said 'at first.' Then we'd meet for dinner and Kate would have me in stitches over things that had happened at her work. She never really talked about work with me before. I guess it was probably all too heavy. Maybe she didn't want to relive it or didn't want me to know how every day she focuses on how rotten people can be to each other? But now, I guess she has things she can laugh about and she shares those things. Your name comes up a lot."

"Really? Because she doesn't laugh that much at work. More now than she used to."

"I have a feeling that has to do with you. You know, I really thought you two were together? Even last year. And then, last summer, I barely saw Kate. Every time I talked to her she was working. I thought you two broke up. She didn't seem like herself again until this fall when she started calling again, and she seemed happier."

Rick dropped his head. He knew that Beckett and Demming had ended over the summer. Had he seen it coming, he would have stuck around. Maybe Kate would have found him then. Instead, at some point, she'd found Dr. Joshua Davidson, world-traveling cardiac surgeon. The golden ratio of perfection. Rick had hoped that Dr. Motorcycle Boy was the rebound guy. But as the months passed and when he stayed instead of going to Haiti, his hopes were dashed. Kate wanted something she could dive into, and Josh stayed.

"Wish I could say I had something to do with that."

"How could you not? You've brought her the break she needed in Johanna's case. You saved her life—more than once. You're doing this for her." Jim gestured again to Rick's desk. "The question I have is why?"

"Well, let me ask you. What would you do if you had a million dollars?"

"Cabin, Colorado Rockies. And maybe learn to fly a helicopter."

"See? Everyone knows. Fishing boat. Winery. Long-term vacation. Everyone has an answer. Kate didn't. But I knew there had to be something. The fact that she couldn't or wouldn't answer just meant that what she would do wouldn't be something palpable. It would be deeply meaningful, deeply personal. I did this to see her smile."

"I saw it tonight when she told me. It's some smile."

"You should have seen it that night." Rick smiled. His voice was wistful and his eyelids lowered a bit as he watched her face go from schoolmarm-y to a happy-spacey.

"So, what you're saying is…you're in love with my daughter?"

"No, Sir. I don't think her boyfriend would like that too much. So I am not saying it."

Dismissing for a moment that Kate had a boyfriend she hadn't mentioned even after he'd promised they were going to start being more open about this kind of stuff, Jim said knowingly, "The words might not be coming out of your mouth, but, I can see it oozing out of you, in everything you've done, everything you do for my daughter. And I read your Nikki Heat books."

There was no use denying it. He was a father, too. He knew.

"Just don't tell Kate."

It's not getting to long for your tastes, is it? Let me know, ok?