Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop
"Before you go," Lanie said, catching Kate as she opened the door to leave the autopsy suite. "I want you to come out with me."
She paused, hand still on the handle, and turned to face her friend. "You what?"
Lanie shrugged, basketball shooting her blue gloves into the hazardous material bin. "I need a girls' night. You need a night away from Al. Let Writer Boy take her for a night and come out with me."
"I can't, Lanie."
"You can't or you won't?" the other woman asked, boosting herself up onto one of the empty tables, feet swinging under the metal slab. "Because I think it's the latter. What's wrong with letting your hair down for a night?"
Kate sighed, letting go of the door to lean her back against it. "I've got to finish this case and Al has to make a project for school tomorrow and I don't have time. So I really can't take a night to go out drinking and dancing in a crowded club with you."
"The case is as good as closed – I just gave you the last piece of evidence you need to get Inwood behind bars. All that's left is the paperwork and we both know you can leave that until tomorrow." Lanie held up a finger when Kate opened her mouth to protest. "As for Al's project, Castle can help out with that. He's creative and thinks like a five year old. So," she drew out, pointing the same finger at Kate with narrowed eyes. "You're coming out with me, Katherine Beckett."
"God, Lanie. Sometimes I hate you," Kate said, pushing off of the door and swinging it open behind her. "I really, really hate you."
"Pick you up at five," Lanie called as Kate left.
Castle was spending the day at home, working on a chapter that was due last week, so Kate called him from the car on her way back to the precinct. He answered immediately and she sensed he was waiting for a distraction.
"Can you watch Al tonight? Lanie wants to go out and I can't see Al enjoying the club that I know I'll be dragged to."
"Will you be in a skimpy dress?" he asked, laughing lightly even as Kate heard the click of keys start up again.
Kate rolled her eyes. "Is that all you men think about? How much leg you'll be able to see when I drop her off?"
"Duh. What else will we think about."
"Fine. I'll call my dad."
"Wait!" he shouted. "I'll take her. No ogling your legs. Promise."
"There's one more thing. She has a science project due tomorrow. She needs to make Saturn out of papier-mâché and will need help. Think you can handle that?"
"Oh yeah! I love projects. Plus, Nikki's really not cooperating right now."
She sighed dramatically. "Oh, the troubles of being a best-selling author. Need a little inspiration, perhaps?"
"You know, when you say things like that, Kate, I just have to picture your legs…"
"Hanging up now. Goodbye, Rick."
"You're pretty, Mom!" Al said, reaching up to touch the hem of Kate's dress.
Kate knelt down, taking Al's hand. "You really don't mind spending the night with Rick? He'll help you with your science project, making Saturn like you wanted, right?"
"Saturn has rings," the girl said matter-of-factly.
Turning to slip on the black heels that she knew would be killing her feet by the end of the night, Kate nodded. "Yes, it does."
"You have a ring, Mom." Al said, following Kate from the bedroom to the living room. "Grandma's ring. It's pretty."
"Well, Saturn has a different kind of ring, doesn't it, kid?" She pulled on her jacket, handing Al her own jacket. "Did you know Saturn's rings make music?"
Al pushed Kate's thigh without any force. "No sound in space, silly!"
"Yeah, but NASA has some cool tools that let them record the rings as they spin around. It's awesome," she said, ushering Al out the door, grabbing the bag of project supplies on the way out.
"Like your ring better."
"Mmm. Me too."
"Mom?"
Castle rolled over, blinking into the pale light trickling into his room from the desk lamp, left on in case Al got up. The little figure was a shadow outlined in the light in the doorway. "Al? What's wrong?"
"Mom? Where's Mom?" she asked, her voice quivering as she stumbled a few steps into the dark bedroom.
"Oh. Oh, sweetie," he said, getting out of the bed and going to scoop the girl up. "Mom's not here. What's wrong?"
Al burrowed her head into Castle's shoulder and he felt the warmth of her tears on the strip of skin exposed by the t-shirt. "Scared." She wrapped her arms around his neck, anchoring herself to him. "Scared, Rick. Want Mom."
"Nightmare," he murmured, more to himself than to the girl. "Okay. Uh, let's turn the lights on, okay?" He flipped the dimmer on, keeping the lights low so they wouldn't be blinded. But in the low lighting, he could still see the tears in Al's eyes, the slight trembling of her body. "Better?" Al didn't respond, whimpering even in the light. Castle turned, sat on the edge of the bed, cradling Al against him. "Al, I know you want Mom but she's not…"
"Mom…"
"Alright. Alright, let's see what we can do." Trying to balance the shaking girl, Castle leaned over to grab his cell phone, plugged into the outlet to charge. The screen glowed bluish in the room, illuminating their faces. "Let's hope that Mom has her phone on," he said, hitting the speed dial for Kate's cell. "Because I have no idea what to do right now…"
The music was too loud. The air stunk of alcohol and stale sweat. People were dancing far too close to her and she had already spilled most of the soda water onto Lanie's arm.
Oh yes. Kate Beckett totally missed the club scene.
"Come dance, Kate!" Lanie shouted, just loud enough to be heard over the bass that thrummed through the room. "Live a little!"
Sipping the soda water, the lime wedge floating on the surface, Kate shook her head. "No thanks. Remember what happened last time I 'lived a little'?"
"Aw, come on! Just one dance then you can come sit again." Lanie wrapped her free hand around Kate's elbow, giving her a tug. "Please! Please, please, please!"
"Fine. Stop yanking at me," Kate muttered, taking a last drink of the bubbling water. Just as she got up, steadier than Lanie on her heels without any alcohol in her bloodstream, her clutch vibrated. Lanie rolled her eyes while Kate waved her hand. "Give me a minute."
She answered without looking at the caller ID – it would have been invisible in the bright, pulsing lights of the club anyway. "Hello?"
"Kate?"
"Rick?" Lanie sighed, at least Kate thought she sighed, and shuffled off into the crowd. "What's wrong? Is Al okay?"
He sounded panicked. Even over the phone, even in the music that was still blowing out her eardrums, she could tell that everything was not okay back at his loft.
"Uh, yeah. I mean, I think she's okay."
The muffled sob came through the earpiece and Kate was on her feet. "You think she's okay? Rick, what's going on?"
"I think she had a nightmare. She wanted you but you're out with Lanie and I didn't want to interrupt your night but…" he sighed and Kate could picture him running his hand through his hair in frustration. "Kate, I didn't know what to do."
"I'll come home. Give me half an hour to find a cab and I'll be there."
"No!"
Kate blinked at his conviction but was still up on the tips of her toes, scanning the bodies for Lanie's head. "This isn't a test. There's no pass or fail. Let me get a ride and-"
"I got this. Enjoy your night out, Kate. I'll figure something out."
She rolled her eyes. Stupid, stubborn man. "You're sure?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. We're fine."
"Sometimes just cuddling calms her down. Put on some music and just lay there with her. In case nothing else works," Kate supplied.
"Thanks. See you later?"
"Definitely. Who else would I be coming home to?"
He laughed and she could tell he was still nervous. "No one, I hope. Thanks, Kate."
Castle hung up first and Kate waited a moment before putting her phone back in the clutch. Lanie was still missing so she sat back down, swirling the soda water with the little red straw. Al hadn't had nightmares in a while, not since Marcus from school told her a ghost story and the girl couldn't get to bed for a week without having Kate in the room. Figured that she'd have another one when Kate was nowhere nearby to talk the girl off the proverbial cliff.
"What was that?" Lanie asked, dropping onto the couch next to Kate, kicking her feet up onto the little table in front of them.
"Al was having a nightmare."
Lanie laughed, barely heard over the cheers of the crowd as the song changed. "And he was panicking a little."
"More than a little."
"And you want to go rescue him."
"That obvious?" Kate said, slumping back into the cushions.
Lanie got up, taking Kate's glass and placing it next to hers on the table. "Let's go drop you off to save the damsel in distress." When Kate sat there, staring at Lanie in shock, the other woman crossed her arms. "You'll be unsociable if you know your girl is having a hard night. More unsociable than usual. So come on. Off we go."
The cab dropped Kate off last after she made sure Lanie got to the front door of her apartment into the hands of the young doorman taking the midnight shift. Paying the driver who had been relatively sane for a New York cab driver, she let Eduardo open the door to the building for her.
"Late night, Miss Beckett?" he asked, taking up his post again, sliding onto the chair behind the desk.
She shrugged, going for the stairs rather than the elevator. "Later than usual. Have a good night, Eduardo."
"And you," he returned as she started up the stairs.
Using the key he had slipped her a few weeks ago, Kate let herself into the loft. It was dark save for the light from the lamp on his desk in the study. She could still see the papier-mâché ball, painted pale tans, gold, and red, drying on the dining room table, the coat hangers they had bent into rings resting next to the planet. Putting her heels next to the table, Kate moved into the study, flicking the light off as she passed, until she was in the bedroom.
He had left the dimmed lights on and she could just barely see the two lumps on the bed. Their breathing was steady, no more shuddering whimpers from her daughter or alarmed whispers from Castle. All quiet on the front.
"You're home."
She jumped when one of the lumps moved, getting out of bed without disturbing the smaller bundle of blankets. "She fell asleep with you?"
Castle yawned, stretched his hands over his head. "Right away. As soon as she curled up next to me."
Kate smiled, reaching up to brush her thumb over his brow. "You're so good with her," she said, walking into the bathroom after snagging the huge t-shirt he had left hanging over the back of the chair. He followed and she knew he was looking at her legs.
"Only after you calmed me down," he said, leaning against the door of the bathroom and watching as Kate shimmied out of the dress, throwing it at him. "I was terrified."
"Well you survived your first nightmare. It's all uphill from here. Plus, you made Saturn with her. How'd that go?"
"Fun. It's been a while since I can remember sticking my fingers together with that lumpy papier-mâché stuff. Gets everywhere." Castle stepped closer, fingers trailing over her side. "You have a good night with Lanie?"
"I'm not really a party girl. Lanie just likes having someone to drag around." She pushed up on her toes to kiss him lightly. "Tired. Let's go to bed."
It was hard, arranging themselves around Al's sleeping body, but eventually they managed to settle on either side of the girl. As Kate sank into sleep, aided on by the presence of Al right next to her and the knowledge that Castle was just on the other side, she felt him run his fingers through her hair.
"Love you, Kate."
She rolled over as much as possible, enough to make out his eyes in the dark, and smiled. "Love you, too, Rick."