Rocket Man Chapter XV

I can't thank you enough for the great reviews. Thank you, thank you.

As always thanks to the fabulous BBB's for commiting so much time into this.

Disclaimers:

They are not mine. I'm not keeping them, just borrowing, although I wouldn't mind to keep Castle. ;-)

Kate didn't accompany them to the hospital, feeling they needed some family time, especially Alexis. And since this was one of her rare days off, there were things needing her attention at home. Captivating things, like washing the dishes and doing the laundry.

She let them convince her to come back for dinner though to celebrate, even if Castle thought it was a bit straight forward for one memory, but Martha and Alexis wouldn't hear any of it, too excited about the recent turn of events. And so they separated in front of Castle's building, Kate heading for her car parked two blocks away, while the Castles got into their waiting limousine.

Castle glanced at his daughter, beaming up at him from her seat next to him, hopefully, expectantly. It was easier now to deal with the expectations in her eyes, they weren't as intimidating as they had been these past days. The pressure relieved somewhat, with just one little memory, making it so much easier to smile back.

After the extremely thorough check-up they performed on Castle at the hospital, he was also freed from the remaining clips and stitches on the back of his head and his upper arm, before sending them to the waiting area so they could arrange for another CT.

"I told you this was a waste of time," Castle grunted. "I can tell you exactly what they are going to say. I'll have to wait and be patient."

Martha looked at her son, shaking her head. "Stop being such a baby. You needed to get the clips removed anyway."

He glanced down the hall, hoping his daughter would return with some much needed coffee. He was tired, and not only of waiting.

"So …. You and Beckett?" Martha asked as nonchalantly as she could, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"What about us?" He frowned.

"Well, you shared a bed," Martha gave him a pointed look.

"Nothing happened," he immediately turned into defence mode, feeling awkward. His mother had obviously witnessed their sleeping arrangement and that was somehow creepy.

"Uh-huh," Martha nodded, obviously not buying it.

"Seriously, mother," he was glaring at her now. "You were the one telling me we're just partners."

Raising her hands she gave in, "Alright, alright. I just thought…"He fH

"Well don't, and don't say anything to her. No teasing. You are not mentioning this at all to her." His tone left no doubt he was serious. "It will just drive her away."

Martha studied him for a minute before she answered softly, "For someone who doesn't remember, you seem to know her quite well."

He shrugged, not able to give a satisfying answer. He had none. "Just don't say anything, okay?"

Martha pinched her index finger and thumb together, letting them run over her lips, indicating they were sealed.

They were back at the loft five hours later with no news and Martha complaining about the hospital only wanting her son's money, stating she didn't want to see the bill they would send his way. Alexis had, more than once, tried to point out the fact that the insurance would pay for it, while Castle threw in the comment that he didn't want to go in the first place. But Martha was on a roll and wouldn't be stopped.

They were gathered around the dinning room table after watching The Third Man, finally playing Monopoly since there was still time before dinner and Alexis was winning.

"I really liked the movie," Castle said, avoiding his daughter's steady and demanding gaze, "For the second-first time that is."

"Don't stall Dad. Hand over the property!" Alexis demanded, holding out her hand, moving her fingers in a give-it-to-me gesture.

"My own daughter robbing me of my home," he sighed dramatically, handing her his second last street, with his good arm, "That hurts." He patted his arm. "Not here," then placed his hand over his heart, "but here."

"Why do you always have to be so whiny?" His daughter asked, snatching the card from his hand.

"Why do you always have to be so mean?" He retorted, grinning widely.

"What do you mean by always?" Alexis smirked back.

"You've been doing this, since you were five." He stated, without realizing that another piece of the puzzle had fallen into place.

"Excuse me?" His daughter mocked disgust.

"Well, remember when we played hide and seek? You always hid in the meanest places."

"And since when can places be mean Dad?"

He stuttered, "Uh, since you started playing hide and seek, duh."

"Yeah, duh," she mimicked him, before they started laughing, with Martha shaking her head at them.

"I guess some things never change," she muttered, getting up to start on dinner.

Alexis leant over the table, closer to her Dad, nodding her head into her grandmother's direction and whispered, "Do you really want to leave her alone in the kitchen?"

"Not a good idea?" he frowned.

Alexis shook her head, biting her lip and Castle stared at her, somehow caught up in the image of Alexis' teeth sinking into her bottom lip. Where had he seen that before?

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he shook his head and got up. "Let's get dinner ready.

Kate was insanely nervous as she knocked at Castle's door that evening. It felt strangely official and she couldn't quite calm the butterflies that were dancing Samba in her stomach. "Geez, get a grip. It's just dinner with his family, nothing you haven't done before," she muttered to herself. Only the past few days, and last night, combined with Castle starting to remember, made her all giddy. She huffed, looking down at herself, contemplating whether she would have been better off wearing a dress. Realising what she was doing, she rolled her eyes. This was not a date. It was just dinner, and still she had opted for a slightly sexier top than she normally would have. Nothing inappropriate, but fancy enough for her not to wear every day.

Castle pulled open the door, startling her, before her lips broke into a smile that matched his.

"Hey," he beamed at her. "Come in."

She stepped past him, "Thanks for the invitation."

"That's the least we," he paused, "I can do after all you've done for me."

She placed her hand on his forearm, "You don't have to thank me. You would have done the same."

"Still, thank you." He looked at her, wanting her to accept it.

"Okay, you're welcome," she said gently.

He smiled and nodded, helping her out of her coat, which wasn't an easy task with his left arm still in the sling he had to wear at least another week.

"Thanks," she smiled shyly, hoping she wasn't blushing. This was ridiculous, why did it feel so different tonight?

"You look beautiful," he complimented after he gave her a subtle look-over, his hand coming to rest at the small of her back on the thin satin fabric, sending shivers down her spine as he guided her towards the kitchen. Since he had lost his memory he had been more open with his affection for her and it had scared Kate. She feared he would step over one of the border lines she had established so carefully in the past years and if he did she wasn't sure if she could handle it. But right now she couldn't care less, his hand on her back felt way too good to worry about it.

He was wearing one of the dark blue button downs which made his eyes shine, one of her favorites she noticed, "You look good yourself." His eyes shined even more at her words.

"Wine?" He held up a glass and she nodded.

"How did it go at the hospital?" Kate took the now filled glass from his hand.

"Lots of yadda-yadda. Basically, there's nothing I can do except wait, and maybe I can try hypnosis therapy next week," he shrugged, clinking his glass with hers.

"But you remember some more, right?" She could see it in his eyes, the way they danced, so eager to share it with her.

"I remember Alexis being way too smart for her age … at any age," he laughed. "I remember her being five years-old and hiding in the top kitchen cabinet. I needed an hour to find her and I still have no idea how she did it. How she got up there."

Kate laughed openly, freely, "Anything else?"

"Lots of pieces of when Alexis was still little, some of me and my mother, and I'm putting them together piece by piece." He stopped, his expression suddenly clouded.

"What?" She asked, resting her hand on his forearm and squeezing it gently.

"I don't remember anything recent."

"Castle," she sighed ."Piece by piece, step by step," her hand slid up his right arm. "It's good your first memories are of Alexis, good for both of you." Her hand had wandered further up and now tugged at his collar, before smoothing down the fabric over his chest and giving a gently squeeze. She didn't even notice until he took in a sharp breath. Pulling her hand back, she smiled at him. "Where are Martha and Alexis anyway?"

"Should be down any minute," he stuttered, trying to shake off the images which suddenly popped into his head. Images of his hands in her hair, and her lips on his, all of it way too real.

Giving him a funny looked she walked over to the dinning room table, leaving him watching her.

Dinner was lovely, they chatted, laughed and shared stories, having a marvellous time. Castle's returning memory had everyone on a high. Kate caught him watching her from time to time with a strange expression on his face, but when she raised a questioning brow at him he just smiled and shook his head - dismissing it. Maybe later she would get the chance to catch him in a quiet moment and ask what was going on.

After dinner they sat in the living room, Alexis and Martha in the kitchen cleaning up after they had more or less shoved Castle and Kate out of the kitchen, declining their offer to help.

"Relax," Martha had said, handing them two glasses of wine and pointing towards the couch.

So that was where they found themselves, awkwardly silent.

"Castle? What's wrong?" She finally asked when she couldn't take his silence and the way he was looking at her anymore. She knew he was mulling over something.

"I remember something," Castle stated quietly, avoiding eye contact.

Kate was confused, "I know."

"Something else… Something about us." His voice was even, as if having a hard time holding back some kind of emotion, she couldn't place.

She frowned, unsure why he seemed to be so troubled about it. Remembering her should be a good thing, right? She didn't say anything, just looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"We kissed, didn't we?"

Oh. She hadn't expected that one coming. He stared at her and Kate knew she had to explain it.

"We did, yes." She sighed, why did it always have to be so complicated? "We were sort of undercover, trying to distract a guard. Ryan and Esposito were held captive and you came up with the idea to play a drunken couple to get close enough to the guard so I could knock him out." She saw his shoulders sink and wondered how much more confusion he could take. "It worked." She offered, because she didn't know what else to say.

Castle was studying her intently, searching his memory for further information but when he couldn't find any, he took her word. Still, there was something else in her eyes. Regret? For what? And if it had been a distraction why did it feel as if it had been so much more?

She wanted to add something, ease his obviously troubled mind, but Alexis joined them, plopping down between them and Kate knew this wasn't the moment.

Pulling his daughter close, Castle placed a kiss on top of her head, grinning from ear to ear. And Kate couldn't help but smile at the scene playing out in front of her. It warmed her heart to witness their display of affection. She always had adored him for the father he was, had been astounded by the great relationship he had with Alexis and it tugged at her heart to see them like this, in a good way. Maybe she should have told him this in the past, she realised.

"Are you watching a movie with us?" Castle asked, hopeful eyes turned to Alexis.

She glanced at Kate before she shook her head, "I've still got some work to do for school." The look hadn't gone unnoticed by the Detective and Kate tried to decide whether Alexis didn't want to watch the movie because of her presence or if Castle's daughter wanted to give them some time alone, because school work was definitely not the reason.

Her father pouted. "Oh, come on."

"Tomorrow?" She offered, already getting up.

"Okay," he mumbled disappointed and Alexis patted his cheek. "I'm sure Kate will be an excellent movie companion." She grinned. "Good night, you two."

"Night, Alexis."

"Night, Pumpkin."

Castle let her chose the movie, pointing out he didn't know any of the one's he owned. Well except The Third Man and Sleepless in Seattle. She wandered the lines of DVD's and stopped at a worn out copy of Forbidden Planet, frowning. There was no way he had bought it after she took him to see it. She shot him a quick glance over the shoulder before she turned back to hide her smile. So he had lied, because he had wanted to spend time with her? Did it really surprise her? Did it surprise her even back then?

She let her index finger slide over the covers and stopped at one she hadn't seen in a very long time. She remembered how excited Castle had been about the two Meg Ryan movies he had seen this week and she figured he wouldn't mind to see another one, plus she really liked it.

Pulling it out, she walked back to the couch and handed it to Castle.

"When Harry met Sally," he read the title, beaming up to her, when he read the name of the female lead. "Meg Ryan?"

"What? You like her." She shrugged.

"She's cute," he admitted and then suddenly felt he shouldn't have said that, "Not as cute as you though!" He added quickly and made her blush. Maybe he shouldn't have said that either. He glanced at her to see if he had overstepped, but she was still smiling at him, so he relaxed.

"What about Martha?" She asked, while he placed the DVD into the player and turned on the TV.

"She's going out for drinks," Castle replied, walking back to the couch, but then rethinking he headed for the kitchen, rummaging through cupboards.

She watched him amused, chin propped up on the back of the couch, one arm dangling over the side. She really looked cute, he thought when he caught her studying him. "What are you looking for?" Kate asked

"I saw some potato chips back here," Castle mumbled into the cupboard. "Ah! Gotcha!" Grabbing another bottle of wine he walked back to her.

"Didn't we just have dinner?" She questioned, but was secretly glad his appetite has returned. It concerned her how thin he had become in just a couple of days.

"For later," he shrugged. "This way I won't have to get up again."

She nodded knowingly and held out her glass for him to refill it, before he finally settled down next to her. Closer than before, she noticed.

Half way through the movie and in the middle of Sally's faked orgasm at Katz's Martha breezed out of the door, wishing them fun and announcing they shouldn't wait up for her. Martha's comment caused Kate to flinch, since it somehow implied Castle's mother was expecting her to stay. Did Castle expect her to stay?

Glancing at him, she tried to make out what he was thinking, but he was way too concentrated on the movie and she doubted he had even listened to what his mother had said.

"What?" He asked, his eyes still glued to the screen.

"Huh?" He had taken her by surprise.

"You're staring," he grinned and finally turned to look at her.

"Nothing," she shook her head, staring at her hands.

He frowned, sensing her discomfort, "You okay?" She didn't look at him, but felt him shift closer, his hand coming to rest on hers on the back of the couch. "Hey?"

"It's just," she paused, unsure how to explain that every thing was so complicated because he did not remember her, them and their screwed up relationship. "I'm just relieved you started to remember things." It wasn't a lie.

He smiled, his bright Castle smile, the one she loved so much, "Me too." He moved even closer, his eyes never leaving hers, whispering. "Thanks for being there."

Kate could feel his breath on her face, so close and warm. She could feel him leaning in, she held her breath didn't even dare to blink. She should move away, should run. But she couldn't, she couldn't move, couldn't think.

He was aiming for a gentle kiss on her cheek, a Thank you. Nothing more than a gesture, but then his lips were on hers, soft, gentle and Kate was too surprised to pull away. He didn't move, nor did he deepen the kiss. He just lingered there, before he slowly pulled away again, taking in her flushed cheeks, her heavy breath and her certainly wildly beating heart.

"Thank you, Kate."

She swallowed, "Yeah, always."

There was it again, this little word holding a meaning he still couldn't fully understand. But he wouldn't press the matter, he had pushed his luck more than enough for one evening. He was surprised she was still in his apartment, still on his couch and so very close. No, he wouldn't push. He would wait, he would be patient.

He didn't expect her to stay. She had helped him one last time with his injection as he wouldn't need them anymore. Then she had put him to bed, though he was capable by now to do it on his own, and she had said goodnight. He hadn't asked and she hadn't offered. And he was asleep before she even left his room, the day's events finally taking their toll, and closing the door behind her she stepped into the silence of his office.

She was smiling. She shouldn't be smiling, but she couldn't hold it in. Her fingers reached up, touching her lips. It hadn't even been a real kiss, just his lips on hers. A Thank You.

She leant against his desk, needing the support for a minute, as she softly laughed at herself. She was being ridiculous, and wasn't this confusing him further? But he didn't seem confused. He seemed happy, right?

It was too late to change it now anyway. She pushed herself off his desk, sending something crashing to the floor. Looking around she saw the small remote control for the smart board at the wall. Leaning down to pick it up, Kate accidentally pressed the power button, turning it on. She looked up and was startled to see… herself.