Just got back from a little camping excursion with my guys! For future reference—having a birthday party while camping is a bad idea. We ended up coming back with way more stuff than we left with! Also, don't order cakes from people who are just "filling in" at the bakery counter—we ended up with one 2x bigger than what I was expecting!

Thanks to you all for the many wonderful notes, congratulations and birthday wishes to my little pumpkie! He was pretty stoked about turning 4!

I have another pretty long chapter for you…with a scene I have been waiting and waiting and waiting to write! I hope it's worthwhile! :o)

Chapter 38 – On stage

Finally, Kate moved. "We should get to work," she told Alexis. "Why don't you get your stuff and I'll set up the laptop—show you what I've been working on?"

Kate walked into the kitchen and pulled out a dishtowel. At the piano, she laid the laptop on the towel and started opening her program while Alexis moved a stool and her music stand closer to the piano.

"So," Martha said, leaning on the piano while Kate and Alexis set up. "Do I get to stick around while you two work on this project? I would love to actually hear you play rather than just hear about it."

"Well, any requests, Martha?"

"What can you play?"

Kate shrugged. "I don't know. What do you like? Sinatra, Bach, Mraz?"

"Just play something."

"Okay," Kate started to play Hand in My Pocket. "I've always liked Alanis Morissette."

"Oh, wait, wait, wait!" Alexis cried. "Come on, Kate. I know you can sing!"

Kate smiled and shook her head was still playing. "No way, Alexis. I'm not going to sit here and sing all by myself."

"Well, I don't know the lyrics, or I'd sing with you."

"Don't know the lyrics?" Kate stopped abruptly. "Sweetie, I thought your father schooled you in the classics?"

"I tried her out…she just seemed so…angry."

Kate laughed. "Yeah…early years, especially. We got along well. You'll have to check out some of her other stuff."

"Kate, I'd love to hear you—and I'm an actress, I'm used to hearing people sing—even myself, without music."

"Great. I'll play something you know."

"What would you like?"

Martha set her water down on the piano. "I would like to hear you."

Kate winced at the thought of the ring that thing would leave on the mahogany piano top. "I haven't had near enough to drink for that to happen."

"Come on. No need to be shy. No one gets away with that in this family. I'm not above begging or blackmail."

"Are you sure you didn't have breakfast with my father?"

"No, but I'd be happy to call him up…or you know, tell Richard about this secret skill of yours."

Kate scoffed. "What'd I ever do to you?" she grumbled.

Martha snapped her fingers and pointed at Kate. "Ha! Looks like I win."

"Fine," Kate gave in. "One song." She looked at Martha who looked almost giddy with her victory. "On one condition."

"What's that, Dear?"

"You're killing me with that glass on the piano."

"Ohh!" Martha exclaimed, lifting it immediately. "Sorry, Love! Richard would have my head."

Kate smiled at the endearment. Martha was so…free. "So would my grandma," Kate said as she glided fingers over the keys and resumed the song she'd begun earlier. She felt so very uncomfortable singing in Castle's living room for his mother and daughter. But she did, or rather she played and sang the first few stanzas before skipping ahead to the final one and letting the song trail off.

"See, Gram? I told you she was amazing!"

"Indeed. I was expecting something less…exceptional. You have a tremendous voice, Kate."

Kate blushed. "Thank you."

"That's putting it lightly. I know—we're embarrassing you. But really, thanks. Dad's going to be so jealous when he finds out we got a private concert."

"But, he's not going to find out."

"Don't kid yourself, Kate. If it's about you, Dad will find out."

"If he doesn't already know. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't dig up your college transcripts as part of his 'research'."

Kate looked at Martha eyes wide in surprise. That thought hadn't ever occurred to her, but she realized Martha was probably right.

"What? He's very thorough—especially where you're concerned."

I wonder if I can get my records sealed?

"But, if he had, you'd have surely heard about it by now, so…best not to worry, and, I want to know what's with the laptop?"

Kate smiled. "Well, I took the recording we did last time and uploaded it into this program. It's kind of cheating, but it then lets you pick an instrument and it auto-suggests a score to go along with it based on criteria you set. Then you can play around with it—either composition, until you have something you like."

"Wow. I didn't know they made stuff like this." Alexis sat down beside her on the piano bench.

"Yeah, this is an older version. Kind of pirated it from my cousin—but she insisted in exchange for playing at her wedding. Wanna hear it?"

Kate went to hit 'play' on one of the files.

"Which do you want to hear first? I have two versions…one with the tweaked notes from your composition—think I got them in there right. And, just for fun, I added with the piano as a backdrop."

"Let's hear just my piece first." Alexis turned to Martha. "Last time, Dad came home before I actually got to play the section Kate helped me rework. I wrote them down, but my sheet looks like connect-the-dots now and I can't tell which ones are which."

Kate dug around in the laptop bag again. "Here, I printed this out for you. You can make changes right here, if you want. It saves all your previous versions, so you don't lose anything and always have a clean sheet."

"That's awesome."

"You want to listen first and then play it for us?"

Alexis nodded. Kate played the file and watched Alexis as she listened. It was different to hear your own stuff played back to you. She could see that Alexis was proud of the piece, but still listening critically. Kate thought she had a lot to be proud of. Alexis had talked through, played through and analyzed each of the changes they were now listening to. She had produced a piece that sounded beautiful. Kate was pretty certain there was a spot where Alexis would want to adjust the tempo, but whether she did or didn't, Kate was pleased for her.

She knew how much Alexis appreciated the likes of Taylor Swift and Hayley Blue, so for her to have completed her own composition—and not just lyrics or poetry, which would be far easier for her to crank out? Despite her disdain for cheerleaders, Kate felt like breaking out the pom-poms and doing a little dance herself.

When the piece was over, they listened as Alexis played through it perfectly. It sounded so much better in person than through the speakers on Kate's laptop. Plus, there was the emotional element that connected Alexis and her violin to the piece she'd created for her father which made it all the more beautiful to Kate.

After Alexis played it through a few more times and tried out a couple of changes, Kate showed her how to save them and print out a fresh music sheet. While Alexis was making her adjustments, Kate was listening and every now and then would play a section along with her and adjust the piece the software program had auto-created. She wanted the piano piece to be more in the background to really show off the piece Alexis has created. With her piece finalized, all Alexis had to do was commit it to memory so she could play it for her father at his party.

"You should frame the sheet music and give that to him along with the CD," Martha suggested to her granddaughter.

"That's a great idea, Gram."

"It is. Your father's going to love it. This will totally top that chocolate badge you gave him."

"It will, won't it?" Alexis asked grinning.

"Come on, Darling, play it again."

"Are you going to play it with me this time?" Alexis asked. "You've only played sections."

"If you want me to. I just thought it would be fun to do. Plus, I didn't have to do any of the work for it."

Alexis began to play the soft, melodic notes. After she reached the repeat bar line, Kate joined in with long, low chords that complimented Alexis' piece without overpowering it. It was hard for Kate to keep up because it was the first time she'd played it all the way through and she was trying to read the notes from off her laptop screen. When they reached the end, though, Martha was clapping.

"It's wonderful! Like having an orchestra in the living room!"

"Wow. That did sound really good! It makes the whole thing seem more..."

"Real?" Kate suggested, thinking Alexis was just a little overwhelmed at hearing her own piece combined like that.

"No. Well, real, yeah. But complete. Makes it seem fuller—better."

"Oh, I don't think so, Alexis. Another layer, yes. But definitely not better. This was just for fun, you know? So, I could play it with you, show you how this software works."

"I know…but," Alexis emphasized, "do you think we could record it with the piano and put that on the CD, too? That way there's more than just one thing on the CD?"

"I suppose you could, but wouldn't you rather just give him the piece you spent so much time working on rather than add this other computer-generated component?"

"Of course not, Dear! Plus, we just sat here listening to you tweak parts, so we know that wasn't all the computer."

"Please, Kate? You've helped me make this piece sound so much better. I was about ready to throw it out and settle on a new tie. I'd hate to not give him both versions, especially when it adds to it."

"If that's what you want to do Alexis, I don't mind."

"Fantastic! Then it can be from both of us!"

"Oh, no! Anonymity for me."

"But you said you still don't know what you're going to get him, and this is perfect."

"Not true. I have ideas, I'm just not sure about them. What are you getting him, Martha?"

"Oh, I don't give Richard birthday presents. Instead, he gifts me for birthing him. And frankly, Dear, that's as it should be."

Kate looked at her, slightly puzzled.

"Do you have any idea how big his head is?"

Kate laughed. "Oh, I've got an idea."

"They actually thought he might have set the record for biggest head circumference. Looked it up and everything. He didn't, but I was fully dilated for nearly 20 hours. He wouldn't budge. They couldn't even fit the foreceps up there to try and drag him out. Ripped me to shreds when he finally did make it out."

"TMI, Gram."

Agreed, Kate thought.

In all seriousness, Martha turned to Kate. "But, I don't want you to worry, Dear. Apparently big heads don't run in the family. Alexis was small. Just 5 pounds."

"I, I…" Kate paled before turning pink. Kate's thoughts hadn't gone there until Martha forced it. Curse that woman! I wasn't anywhere near thinking that! I wasn't worried. Oh, my God! Now, I'm going to be thinking that. How am I going to get that image out of my head? Great…now I'm thinking about sex with Castle and potential outcomes of sex with Castle while his mother and daughter are staring at me. Worse. They know I'm thinking about it and they're thinking about it, too! Ahh! Martha! Never had anyone wanted to crawl under a piano and die more than Kate did at that moment.

Martha went on pretending to be oblivious to Kate's shock and embarrassment, while Alexis tried and failed to hide her smirk. "So, what are you thinking for Richard, Kate?"

"Oh, I, uh…" Think. Then. Speak. Kate paused, eyebrows cocking in confusion as she tried to figure out what to say. "I actually have a couple of ideas, but I keep coming back to one."

"Okay, so what is it?" Alexis asked.

"Puppy. Why don't you guys have a dog? Other people in the building have dogs. I think I want to get him a dog. I mean, he'd like a dog, right?" Kate was rambling, and felt oddly embarrassed. She wasn't sure if it was because of wanting to get him a puppy or still from Martha.

Martha and Alexis looked at each other knowingly, but Kate missed it. She was talking like she was still trying to talk herself into it. Or out of it. She had other ideas, but this is the one that hounded her, so to speak. She also wasn't sure how she felt about wanting to get Rick a puppy. A puppy seemed…big, but she just kept imaging Rick with a puppy and it made her smile. She knew he loved dogs. He always stopped to pet them, watched them play when they were in the park, and really, she was baffled as to why he didn't have a dog already.

"Kate, Dad would love a puppy."

"Years ago, when he and Gina were married, Alexis wanted to get him a puppy. Richard always wanted a dog, so it was perfect. A little surprising that Alexis wanted to get him a puppy because, believe it or not, Alexis was a bit anxious around dogs. We brought it home, with all sorts of toys and such. But Gina hated the idea of having a dog in the house—or of not having been consulted."

Alexis picked up the story. "So, for a few hours, he had a dog and he was thrilled. But, after Gram left, they got into a huge fight. And the dog had to go. Gram took me shopping the next weekend to find a replacement gift, and that's how we ended up with Rex." Alexis pointed to the metal dog statue on the sofa table. "Rex isn't so bad to look at, but he's not exactly cuddly and he doesn't play fetch."

"Really, Kate, it's a marvelous idea. Richard will love it. What kind of puppy do you have in mind?"

"Well, I was hoping to convince you two to help me figure it out."

"Well, I don't know a thing about dogs, Dear. I know I couldn't stand a yapper and whatever you get, I'll be hiding my shoes, sleeping with my door shut."

"I'll help, Kate. And, if we find one, I'll be able to help take care of it. We'll have to hide it at your apartment, but I won't be in school, so I can make sure it gets out for walks and stuff."

"Really? Honestly, I was wondering how to handle that if you guys said yes."

"We say yes," Alexis assured her. "This is gonna be so cool!"

"Okay then. We'll look and see." Kate smiled. She'd thought maybe there was a reason they didn't have a dog, but that didn't seem to be the case. She was excited about it. Now, it was just a matter of choosing the perfect puppy for Rick. She wondered, for a moment, if it wouldn't be better to involve him in the decision, but she wasn't willing to give up the look of surprise and excitement she knew would grace his face.

"Beckett." Kate answered her phone, knowing it was Ryan. She was sitting on Esposito's couch waiting for him to finish changing—wondering what exactly Lanie felt the need to assist him with? The man had been dressing himself quite successfully for years, and they were already running late thanks to Esposito having forgotten his combat boots; hence, the detour from Lanie's place to Esposito's on the way to the Village Pourhouse.

"What do you mean 'which house?" Beckett asked, nodding to Lanie and Esposito as they emerged from his bedroom.

She listened to Ryan explain that he and Jenny had done a mini wine tour and stayed at a bed and breakfast the night before. Now, they were just getting to Castle's place in the Hamptons, but there were apparently two houses at the address Castle had given him, and he couldn't get ahold of Castle to figure out which one the key code went to.

"Honestly, I don't know how you expect me to know. I didn't even know there were two houses. Are you sure you're at the right place?"

Kate listened again. "No, Castle's not with me." What am I? His babysitter?"He's doing that celebrity server thing." Lanie and Esposito were giving her questioning looks, so she pulled the phone away from her mouth. "Apparently Castle has two houses in the Hamptons. Ryan doesn't know which one the pass code is for."

"Two?" Lanie exclaimed. "This I gotta see. Kevin, tell Jenny to text me a pic," she yelled so Ryan could hear.

Ryan responded to Beckett that they were on it and asked what they should do. "Well, I don't know, Ryan. Pick one and hope the Hampton's PD doesn't descend on you."

One of the two in the Hamptons said something that caused Beckett to smirk. "Well, I guess I could call Alexis. She might know."

"Holy Hell!" Lanie exclaimed, looking at her phone. "How much money does that man have?" she asked, looking back and forth between Kate and the phone.

Kate shook her head. She had no idea, didn't much care, and was busy dialing Alexis now. Lanie held up the picture of the two houses to her. Two bungalow-style homes, similar in color and structure stood slightly angled toward one another. Though the picture was taken too close to see either of the houses completely, Kate could see that though they were similar, they were not mirror images of one another. Each had gray-shingle siding and a maroon colored door, but the doors were in different in style. The house on the right had a long covered porch, suitable for lounging on; the other had a smaller covered entryway. On the far left of the photo, she could make out a garage door.

Alexis answered. "Hello?"

Kate could hear other people in the background. "Hey, Alexis. Make it to Mystic yet?"

"Yeah. Last night actually. Everyone's just gathered to have dinner for his grandmother's birthday. Remember the lady with the little dog at the Mandarin I told you about?"

"Yeah."

"That's his grandmother, but with a cat."

"Coat and all?"

"Uh-huh."

Kate laughed. "Well…remember what I said. Which is worse?"

"I think Moulin Rouge would be more entertaining."

"Well…honey, I got nothing. Maybe take Ashley for a walk later? Be his saving grace?"

"Maybe. So…what's up? Everything okay there?"

"Actually, I need a favor. Or rather, Kev needs a favor. I'm staring at a picture of your place in the Hamptons. There are two houses, Lex?"

"Um…Yeah, I guess. They're kind of connected with a walkway on the ground floor and an outdoor patio kitchen. They share a basement."

"So, the code your dad gave Ryan?"

"Works on either. They're welcome to whichever side…We normally stay in the one with the garage, but they both have access to the pool."

"The pool?"

"Yeah. It's actually too cold to swim there most of the year, so there's a pool. Under the patio. There's a walkout basement on either side and central access to the pool. It's probably too cold for the bay, so make sure you tell them to find the pool."

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be exploring. Sounds like there's a lot to discover."

"Yeah. I better let you go. They're seating our party."

"Okay, have fun, Alexis. I hope you uncover a zany aunt or some such craziness. Call me if you need anything."

"You, too. Try to keep Dad out of trouble."

"Impossible. Bye, Alexis."

Kate turned back to her audience. Esposito was talking to Ryan, so she had him fill them in as the trio walked out the door, finally heading to their original destination.

The Village Pourhouse was packed. While Lanie was beside them itching to dance, Esposito and Beckett kept alert eyes open for any sign of Castle. They knew he was there, they just didn't know where. They stopped finally, a few feet from the dance floor and tables where they could grab a table if one opened up and still scan the crowd. From there, they could the bar. When a large group moved further onto the dance floor, they revealed a man that Kate immediately recognized as Castle, even from behind.

Castle was being hit on by a woman. She had her hands all over him, touching his back, his arm—did she? She just dipped her finger inside Castle's collar! Kate was feeling oddly hostile toward this woman. For Castle's part, he seemed uncomfortable and he was looking over his opposite shoulder, clearly looking for them. Kate was about to go over there when the woman turned. Kate clenched her jaw. She knew this woman. It was none other than Jenna Macaborski—also known as Lauren's mom and the former Mrs. Hinton.

Kate turned immediately, not wanting Lanie and Esposito to know she'd spotted Castle, but she was too late. Lanie's eyes followed Kate's the minute she saw her friend scowl.

"Looks like Castle found himself an admirer," Lanie said, causing Esposito to look. "Go over there and save him, Honey."

Esposito started to move off. "Not you." Lanie smacked Esposito. Like I'm gonna send my man off to get a kind of beautiful woman away from Castle. Idiot. She tugged on Kate's arm. "You."

"No, Lanie. He knows how to handle himself. He can take care of her—if he wants to."

"Look at him. He's obviously not enjoying her attentions. Not get your scrawny little behind over there and help the man out!"

"No!"

"Come on, he'd do it for you, and you know it."

He had, in fact, but this was different. "I can't, Lanie."

"What? Why not?" Lanie demanded.

Kate heaved in exasperation and gestured in Castle's direction. "Shewanstasleepwime," she mumbled.

"What?" Lanie asked, while Javier choked on his beer. He had a bit more experience making out garbled confessions. Lanie was busy looking between the two.

"Really?" he asked. Kate simply sneered at him and nodded quickly in a "no, you idiot—I'd lie about something like that" fashion.

"Really what?" Lanie exclaimed.

"It seems Castle's 'admirer'—as you called her—fancies Beckett." Lanie was looking at him confused, and looked back to Kate for clarification.

"I said 'she wants to sleep with me.'" Kate explained. "So, no way in hell I'm going over there."

Lanie burst out laughing.

"It's not funny, Lanie! I'm serious!" Kate hissed, while Lanie turned back to where Castle sat at the bar. She started in his direction, but Kate pulled her back.

"Hey, Castle!" Lanie yelled over the music. Kate was going to clamp her hand over her friend's mouth in a way that very much reminded her of junior high, but she saw Castle turn toward them and realized it was too late. He was already heading toward them. Unfortunately, his leech saw fit to link her arm with Castle's and walk with him.

"I hate you," Kate hissed again.

"Ooh, Javi. This is better than the movies," Lanie said rubbing her hands together and linking arms with Javier. "You so owe me for the free entertainment."

Esposito just nudged Beckett's arm. "Just remember and repeat to yourself: Esposito had nothing to do with this. Esposito had nothing to do with this."

Kate knew Castle was standing right in front of her, hands in his pockets—not that she was staring at that particular area. She knew she'd have to meet his eyes soon, but it was hard not to notice his blue jeans, paired tonight with a dark blue button down, open at the collar, like normal, a thick black belt and black shoes. His hair looked more heavily gooped than normal. Kate looked at him more closely and realized that he was wearing a bit of makeup, expertly applied.

When Kate reached his eyes, he cocked an eyebrow at her. She didn't look away, as he spoke, though she was aware of Jenna's hand on his left shoulder, her other playing with the buttons on Castle's shirt—like she was free to do so. It angered Kate a bit, and Castle saw it, but he wasn't quite sure how to interpret it.

"Jenna," Castle said. "I'd like you to meet some good friends of mine. Dr. Lanie Parish and former Airman First Class, Detective Javier Esposito" He never looked toward Jenna, and glanced only briefly at Lanie and Esposito when he introduced them. His eyes were on Kate.

She looked beautiful tonight. She always did, but tonight… Her hair was pulled back loosely at the nape of her neck, with thick curls descending down her back. She wore a sleeveless boat-neck red shirt, tucked into low-riding jeans that perfectly accented her curves. Strappy red sandals with a stunningly thin heel showed off those damn red toes. She had to have done it on purpose, he thought.

"Nice to meet you," Jenna shook each of their hands briefly.

"And you remember Detective Kate Beckett."

"Of course," Jenna said. She trailed the back of her fingers down Kate's arm before ending with a light squeeze of her hand. "From the Mother's Day brunch."

Castle watched as Kate cringed and shivered—and not with pleasure. She was trying not to be rude or make a scene, but he could see the flare in her eyes and the way she squinted when Jenna touched her. He tried not to smirk as he silently asked her "How do you think I feel?"

"Turns out Jenna's the production set designer for the cable network," he said by way of explanation. "Knows my media schedule." She's stalking me.

Jenna's hand returned to Castle's chest and it was his turn to cringe. Kate saw it, but was silently refusing to do anything about it. Castle kept on though, silently goading her, challenging her, much like she'd insisted he read the barista's script during the Temptation Lane case. Jenna was oblivious, but Lanie and Esposito were watching the silent exchange with interest. Finally, Kate rolled her eyes, and Castle knew he'd won. But he didn't know exactly what he won—he had no idea how this was going to play out, how Kate was going to help him get out of this mess.

The surprise on his face was clear when Kate took a tiny step forward, her eyes never leaving his. She reached out and physically removed Jenna's hand from the buttons on Rick's shirt.

"I told you, Jenna. I don't share." Kate's hand continued to travel up Rick's chest to his shoulder, where she brushed Jenna's other hand off from her writer.

Jenna was persistent though, and the hand that Kate removed from Rick's buttons, now rested on Kate's arm. Castle put his right arm protectively around Kate's waist, and knocked his arm up to bump Jenna's hand off his detective.

"Nor do I," he said, as he hauled Kate up next to him. She raised her eyebrows at him. Alexis was right. He is such an opportunist!

"Now, if you'll excuse us," Castle said. "The lady promised me a dance." Castle squeezed his arm around Kate a little tighter and lifted her, seemingly effortlessly. Kate stiffened slightly, surprised at how quickly he'd lifted her, turned and carried her—one armed—the few steps to the dance floor. Her feet literally just grazed the floor. To an onlooker, they'd have looked like they were dancing.

Castle set her down three steps after sweeping her off her feet, but didn't release her completely.

"I promised you a dance, huh?" Kate asked looking up at Castle as he began to move them in step with the music.

"It's my story." He said pushing her away from him, and pulling her back by their joined hands. He guided her past his side, until they were nearly side by side. They paused there, his right arm grazing the swell of her breasts.

They'd maintained eye contact, so Kate was facing him when she said, "I believe I started writing that chapter, Castle."

Castle laughed and pushed her back out spinning her so that their arms crossed her front and her back was pressed into his chest. Kate could feel him behind her. She tried to suppress a shiver when he leaned down to her ear.

"Our story, then." Kate tucked her head and smiled. Our story.

Castle didn't keep her there for long though, and she missed the contact almost immediately. He kept dancing with her, though, in a very fun-loving, casual way that belied his skill. She thought the way he was moving them probably looked a little goofy. But he didn't seem to care and she was having fun. The probably looked drunk or inexperienced, but Castle was clearly leading them in a pattern that only he seemed to know.

It reminded her of the way Harry and Hermione danced in their magical hut—only Castle was clearly a skilled lead. It was no pressure, just a loose, friendly dance. They smiled and laughed heartily about how awful Jenna was and Castle told her a long joke from one of his favorite comedy podcasts.

When the song switched to a slightly slower number, Castle pulled her closer and held their hands to his chest. She nestled her chin in her balled up fist which in turn rested on Castle's shoulder.

"I like dancing with you, Castle. You're a good dancer."

"I like dancing with you, too, Beckett." So, so much.

"How'd you learn?"

"Honestly? I spent a lot of time backstage. I was the constantly evolving understudy, back-up to the back-ups. And let me tell you…understudies are fickle. They go where the wind blows, so I was there. I learned lines, learned lighting, learned to dance—even learned to sew."

Kate pulled back to look at him. "Really?" They smiled at each other. Castle winked at her.

"All true. 'Cept the line dancing and two-stepping. It was very popular with the ladies when I was in college, so naturally, I picked it up."

"Naturally."

"What about you?"

"Ballet and tap when I was a lot younger, but Senior year, PE conflicted with my dual-enrollment courses, so I took ballroom as my elective. It was that or keyboarding basics with Mrs. Walrus."

"Walrus?"

Kate laughed. "Technically, it was Walrad, but she was mean and walked like a duck and everyone called her Mrs. Walrus—not to her face, of course."

"Of course."

When the song was almost over, Castle gave her a little squeeze. "We should find Lanie and Esposito."

Kate didn't agree or disagree, but she allowed Castle to lead her off the dance floor, she was disappointed when they reached the clearing and Castle dropped her hand. He saw a woman approaching with that look in her eye and knew immediately what she wanted. He was on display this weekend, and there was work to be done. He turned to Kate, hoping she'd forgive him for what he was about to do.

"Richard Castle! I'm your biggest fan! I just love your books."

Yeah, right. Name one, Kate thought to herself.

"Can I have your autograph?"

"My pleasure," Castle said. "Where would you like it?"

The woman puffed out her buxom. Her tight shirt already showed she'd crammed her boobs into too small a bra, and the action only made it worse. Castle hesitated; Kate rolled her eyes and looked away. She walked off looking for Lanie and Esposito, not wanting to see the end result, and not wanting to be there if any Nikki Heat questions came up.

The chest signing drew the attention of onlookers, and Castle was pulled into another round of photos and signings. He was loud and glossy and haughty. Kate could hear his fake laugh, even over the music from where she, Lanie and Esposito sat, waiting for him. Kate kept her back turned to it. She had a morbid curiosity, but couldn't bring herself to watch. Plus, she was busy schooling her reaction Castle's day job—if she watched, she knew Lanie and Esposito would read right through her.

Lanie was watching Castle though, and she didn't miss Castle's glances over at Kate. Fifteen minutes later, when Castle finally made it over to their table, he didn't want to sit. He was antsy. Kate was quiet. Her rational mind—which told her she had no cause to be upset with him—was fighting her green monster. She had no foothold; she was grasping at something she knew she wanted, but that remained out of reach. And she wasn't sure how to deal with celebrity Castle. It wasn't who he was to her, but it was certainly a part of Castle…and, in some ways, part of his appeal. In other ways, the reason she kept her distance.

But she hadn't kept her distance tonight, and she didn't want to any more. She'd seen the way he looked at her tonight. She'd felt his laughter rumble in his chest and marveled at how he could make her laugh so easily. His thumb had caressed her lower back while they danced. It wasn't much, but these little reminders were enough to quell the groundless, silent claims on him that were careening through her head every time another woman looked his direction. Besides, he was here, at her side again, and that's where she wanted him.

"You guys want to get out of here? I could really go for a burger."

Kate raised her eyebrows at him.

"Steak?"

As the three got up to leave, she heard someone shout, "It's Richard Castle and Nikki Heat!" Kate shrank back down. Castle pulled her up and whispered in her ear.

"Go. I'll catch up. Text me?"

Kate nodded and walked quickly for the exit while Castle put his arms out, and bowed dramatically. "At your service!"

Isn't Jenna awful? God, I've been wanting to do that for so long…and the puppy! Can't wait for that, either!

Thanks for the reviews! They're this story's lifeblood.