Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop

"Richard, you are in an uncharacteristically good mood," Martha declared as she came down from the second floor of the loft. Her robe that morning was subtle for her, dark red with silver and black accents that swirled as she waved her arms.

Castle poured her a cup of coffee, sliding it over the countertop in her direction. "I don't know what you mean."

Martha sat at one of the bar stools, holding the mug between her hands. Her son was cooking breakfast. A full breakfast. Normally he just made toast, put jam on it, and ate the food with a cup of coffee slurped down as he either ran to get to the precinct or before locking himself in his study to write. But right now, he had bacon in a frying pan, the fat sizzling as he flipped the slices over. Next to it was a plate of eggs, balanced on the stovetop to keep them warm. Toast popped up from the toaster oven.

"You're making breakfast. And humming." She took a sip of the coffee, watching him carefully. "Am I going to need to make myself scarce so that your detective can slip out?"

She had the joy of watching his mouth fall open, then hastily shut before opening again.

"Mother, I… What would make you…"

Martha laughed, snagging a piece of bacon from the plate just as he slid the slices onto the porcelain. "You're a good man, Richard. Plus, that girl has a head on her shoulders. She'd never come home with you after a first date."

He glared a little over the stove but even Martha could see the love in his eyes. She knew that the emotion was not just meant for her, but also came from the current topic of conversation. "I'm glad you still have some faith in my sense of honor."

Castle filled up a plate with the food, placed it in front of her before getting a matching breakfast for himself. Martha forks up some of the eggs, eating them as Castle sat next to her, swirling his coffee. "So the date went well?"

"What am I, a high schooler?" he asked, biting into the toast a little harder than strictly necessary. As he chewed over the slightly-burnt bread, he smiled. "It went really well."

Martha leaned an elbow on the counter, resting her cheek on the heel of her palm, and studied her son. Even with a coffee mug cupped in one hand, a piece of bacon in the other, he looked happier than he had in the longest time. "Would it be cliché and feminine to say that you're glowing?"

"Definitely," he said.

But he sort of agreed with the sentiment at least. Just looking over at the plate of cupcakes from last night and he could feel himself starting to smile all over again. The little cakes were one of the reasons he knew the date had actually happened; without them, he was sure that he'd be thinking the night in the coffee shop, alone, with Kate would have been a wishful dream.

He was jolted out a slideshow of the night when Martha placed a hand on his wrist. "Oh, you're happy."

"Yeah. Mostly."

"Mostly?" Martha nibbled on the end of a bacon slice, a raised brow accenting the question.

Castle sighed, putting the fork down on the edge of the plate and turning to face the woman. "Kate told me about Al. Their story."

"Single mother stories aren't easy to hear. Trust me," Martha said, rubbing his arm gently. "I've been there."

"It's more than that." Castle stood, cradling the coffee mug against his chest and started to pace the length of the living room. "Her mother was murdered when she was nineteen. Her father fell headfirst into the bottle and she had to try and keep him afloat. And the one night," he said, turning to face his mother, "the single night she lets all of it go, she gets pregnant. How is that fair, Mother?"

"I don't know if you've heard this before, Richard, but life usually isn't fair." He groaned, running a hand through his hair even as Martha continued. "From what I've seen and what you've told me, Kate doesn't hate Al for being the result of that single night, am I right?"

He shook his head, taking a drink from the mug. "No. Of course she doesn't."

"Then as unfair as it may seem, I think your detective has found the bright side of her life at the moment. That little girl is the light of her existence no matter how she came into the world." Martha calmly bit into a forkful of eggs, smiling at Castle. "Sort of like another unplanned child I know of."

He walked over, wrapped his mother up in a one-armed hug. "You make too much sense for the early hour, you know that?"

"Oh, I'm a woman of many talents."

Castle snagged the last piece of bacon from his plate, munching on it as he checked the time. "Gotta get going. I'm meeting her at the precinct." With the bacon slice between his teeth, he swung the mid-weight coat on. "And Mother? I don't think Kate would like to hear you calling her 'my detective.' I have a feeling she isn't claimed by anyone."

"She'll be good for you, then. Keep you in line." Before his hand turned the knob of the front door, she called out again. "But you're happy with them? With her?"

He smiled, all genuine warmth, even at seven thirty in the morning. "More than ever."

He was gone but Martha nodded to herself, sipping the lukewarm coffee still in her cup. "Good."

The day at the precinct had been mysteriously quiet. Castle had come in fifteen minutes after she had sat at her desk, smiling gently. No pushing comments about the date the previous night. Just a cup of coffee and a quiet "good morning, Beckett" before he took his usual spot in her visitor's chair. His chair as much as it was Al's. They'd done paperwork together before going out for lunch. Not another date, Kate had told herself over a salad as he cut his burger in half. Just lunch. Then more paperwork while the boys worked their own case.

But when one o'clock rolled around and Kate found that she couldn't stand looking at another D5 form, she said she'd drop Castle off at his place so she could go get Al from school. After he climbed out of the car, he offered to make dinner for them if Kate wanted to come by after getting the girl from school.

"Sorry, but I need a night with my daughter. Just the two of us," she said as he leaned back into the car from his position on the sidewalk. "Haven't seen her in a day since someone conspired with my dad to get her out of my hair last night."

He grinned, sheepish as he shrugged a little. "It was worth it."

"Yes, it was" she responded. "But I want some time with Al. So close my car door so I won't be late to pick her up."

"See you tomorrow, Detective," he parted, shutting the door with a gentle click.

It was a straight drive up the avenue to get to the school but she had been running behind and had seriously considered lighting up the gumball to zip up the street. She didn't, but her foot itched at the pedal. The car screeched to a halt against the curb.

Kate climbed out of the front seat in a half-panic. The rest of the area outside of the school was empty, not crowded with parents and their cars and children running into the street before the adults could grab them. Al wasn't in anywhere in sight.

With her heart slowly inching up into her throat, Kate jerked the door of the school open, running into the little lobby of the building. The office was to her right, the door propped open with a painted rock. The woman at the desk was typing into the old monitor on the surface but looked up when Kate ran in.

"Can I help you?"

Kate braced her hands on the counter over the desk, trying to tamper down the fear still clawing at her. "My daughter, Alexandra Beckett. Where is-"

"Mom!" The girl hit the back of her legs with a little thump.

She turned, bent down, and scooped up Al into her arms. Al wrapped her arms around Kate's neck and Kate buried her nose into Al's soft hair. "Hey, kid."

"Where were you?"

"Rick was holding me up." Kate held onto Al, readjusting her grip so that Al was balanced on her hip. She smiled at the woman at the desk, still watching her like she was crazed. "Thanks."

Al had a grip on some of Kate's hair, twirling the brown strands around her fingers as Kate walked back to the car. "You were late."

"Yeah. Sorry 'bout that, Allie-bug."

The girl let go of her mother's hair as she got into the back seat of the car. Kate took a moment after buckling her own seatbelt, running her hand over the scarred leather of the steering wheel. Al was okay. It was all okay. Al requested the Little Mermaid soundtrack and Kate hummed along as Al sang in the back. She drove slower back to the apartment as her adrenaline rush thinned out.

The apartment was warm when Kate unlocked the door, letting Al bounce into the hallway. "How was your date, Mom?"

Kate stopped, her jacket halfway off her arm. Al was in the fridge, on her tiptoes as she reached for the pitcher of water. When Kate didn't respond, she turned around, balancing herself with the door handle.

"Mom?"

"Uh," Kate shook her head, trying to form coherent thoughts while also trying to pretend the question hadn't been asked. But Al was watching her, expecting an answer, those blue, blue eyes trained on her. "How'd you…?"

"Grandpa told me." She had the pitcher out, holding the plastic between both of her hands. "Can you get me a cup?"

Kate moved, reaching up over Al to take down a cup. She snagged the pitcher from her daughter's hands, pouring the water into the glass and handing it to Al. What Kate wanted more than water was a tumbler of whiskey and ice but she stuck with the same thing Al was currently sipping at.

"So?"

"So what?"

"Where did Rick take you?" Al followed as Kate went to sit on the couch, her legs pulled up to her chest with the glass of water cradled between her breasts. Her daughter crowded her on the couch, her cheek pressed up against Kate's arm. She was studying her mother with eyes that Kate recognized as the ones she got while in an interrogation. No way she was getting out of this without answering some questions.

"Well," Kate started, brushing a hand over Al's hair, "he picked me up. Brought me to our coffee shop." *Our* coffee shop? That was a new one. Kate figured it made sense, really.

"No way." Al had forgotten about the water and had taken up staring at Kate in wonder.

Kate tapped the tip of Al's nose with a grin. "Yes way. And we had coffee and cupcakes. Brought some home, as a matter of fact. I was thinking that we could have some after dinner if you helped me make some homemade pizza."

"Yes! Let's go, Mom! Pizza and cupcakes!" Al jumped up off the couch, nearly spilling the water from her cup onto the carpet before righting it. Kate was almost off the couch herself when Al pushed her back down. "Wait."

"Wait for pizza and cupcakes? Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?"

Al grinned, breaking her serious expression for a moment. "Did he kiss you goodnight?"

Kate debated, quick, keeping her face impassive just to tease the girl. But Al was starting to bounce on the balls of her feet, fighting to keep a smile off her face. "Yes."

"Aahhhh!" Al squealed, finally giving in and leaping up into the air. The water splashed over the rim of the glass and onto both Kate and Al. "I knew it! I knew it!" Ignoring the water on her shirt, Al leaned over and pressed a kiss to Kate's cheek. "Oh, Mom. He's good." She skirted around the couch into the kitchen to dab at the damp shirt with a dish towel. "Glad I said he could date you."

"You what?"