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Disclaimer: Castle isn't mine :/

[Chapter 14]

Kate walked down the street on her way to Remy's. She thought back to her conversation with Rick earlier. The weight of her secret was off of her shoulders, finally. She was glowing she was so happy. They made it, they finally made it.

The detective reached the restaurant, Lanie was waiting outside. "I've been waiting forever, miss slow poke," the ME whined.

"Hello to you, too. And it took me like five minutes, Lan," Kate argued, opening the door.

Lanie was right behind her. "Five minutes is a lifetime in my world." The two found an empty booth by the window. Lanie slid into the seat on one side, Kate on the other.

"And what world is that exactly?" Kate mused, grinning.

Lanie glared at her friend. "Oh shush."

"Hello, ladies. How are you doing on this fine day?" Judy asked as she reached their table, hands on her hips.

Kate and Lanie smiled sweetly at the older woman. "We're doing great, Judy. How are you?" Kate asked being polite as ever.

"Oh, I'm grand, sweetheart. Where's that handsome partner of yours?" She mused.

Kate giggled. "He's back at the precinct. Can't have him interrupting us. Girl talk."

Judy perked up. "Oh, I see. It wouldn't happen to be about Rick, would it? I'm sorry if this is overstepping but you two sure did seem to get along Friday night with your little race and all that."

Kate smiled as she thought back to their milkshake race. "Race?" Lanie asked looking confused and rather interested. "What race?" She was about to explain but Judy beat her to it. The older woman was just so excited.

"Oh, they had a milkshake race. It was the cutest thing!"

Kate nodded with a smile. "He didn't stand a chance."

"So, what can I get you two?" Judy asked, changing the subject as she whipped out her pen and notepad.

Lanie answered first. "I'll have the Gourmet Burger. But can I get it without onions and tomatoes, please?"

"Of course," Judy nodded, writing the order down. "Anything to drink?"

"Water's fine."

"Okay. And for you, honey?" She turned to Kate.

"I'll have the same but with a side of steak fries," Kate ordered, still smiling.

Judy wrote it all down. "Alright. I'll have those out for you soon!"

"Thanks, Judy," Kate thanked as they watched the woman head to the kitchen.

Lanie immediately stared at Kate as soon as Judy left. "Okay, spill."

Kate smirked at Lanie's eagerness. "Shall I start from the beginning?"

"Duh."

Kate took a deep breath. "Okay, so on Friday night we came here for a late dinner. He asked what my plans were for the weekend and I told him, not thinking anything of it. He then invited himself to go grocery shopping with me on Saturday. And then we had that milkshake race Judy mentioned."

"Mmhmm," Lanie hummed, her arms crossed as she leaned back against the booth, making herself comfortable.

"We made a bet that whoever finished first won and the winner got to pick where we went to lunch after we finished shopping. I kicked his sorry ass," Kate gloated with a smile. "But Mr. Sore Loser couldn't stand losing. He claimed I cheated. So, he ultimately got to pick where we went to lunch."

Lanie shook her head, chuckling. Rick was such a little drama queen, always had to be first or he'd pout about it. "Where did you go? Somewhere fancy?"

"Not exactly..."

"Oh boy. Where'd that man drag you?"

Kate paused for effect. "The Jolly Roger."

Lanie gave her an are-you-kidding-me-look. "Isn't that the place with screaming kids and obnoxious waiters dressed like pirates?"

Kate scratched the back of her neck. "Yes. It was actually quite fun surprisingly. They have this ball pit-"

Lanie leaned forward, hands bracing the table. "You didn't go in it, did you?" Kate just shrugged, biting her lip. "You did! Kate, that place is filthy! The morgue is cleaner."

"I- it was fun!" She defended, playing with the salt shaker absentmindedly. "I even pushed Rick into it but he caught my arm as he was falling and dragged me down with him..."

"He probably didn't want to go down alone," Lanie commented, smiling.

"Yeah. Oh," she grinned, her eyes sparkling. "The best part was when we got out of the pit. He was hunting me down in the arcade area. It took him a bit, but he finally reached me, coming up behind me."

Lanie shook her head in disappointment. "Not a smart move, Writer Boy. Not a smart-" The ME then paused for a moment, putting two and two together. "Wait, is that why his eye was all bruised and black when he picked you up last night?" Kate just grinned, causing Lanie to burst out in laughter. People around them stared at the commotion, giving weird looks.

"He snuck up on me. I mean, what was I supposed to do?" Kate asked, the question hypothetical.

"Poor Castle," Lanie joked, finally calm from her laugh attack. "At least you know it'll never happen again."

"Knowing him, it will."

"I'm guessing he was a big cry baby about it?" Lanie wondered, still laughing here and there.

"He wasn't as bad as you'd think. I got him some ice and then he was fine," she smirked. "Luckily, the swelling has gone down and it's not as dark as before, he'll be back to his old goofy self in no time."

Lanie smiled at her friend, loving spending time with her. "Okay, so how was your date last night? And where'd he take you? Not The Jolly Roger, again?"

"No, we didn't go back there." Kate set her arms on the table, crossing them. "Where we went was incredible, Lan. We had the best time," she sighed, reminiscing. "It's this new place called Marlowe's. By far one of the most romantic restaurants I've ever been to."

"Oh, I've heard of that place! I read about it in the New York Times. It got outstanding reviews."

Kate hummed in response to Lanie's comment. "And get this; he got us our own private room with a beautiful view of all of New York. It was gorgeous. Just stunning."

Lanie smiled at Kate as she continued with her story. She couldn't have been happier for them. Those two finally went out on a date! It was about damn time!

"Then for desert we went to that cupcake shop by Central Park," Kate went on.

"Sprinkles? That place is so cool!" Lanie lit up. "I've taken my niece there plenty of times. And their cupcakes..."

"Are to die for!" Kate sighed, continuing on with Lanie's train of thought. "Rick was able to get the place to ourselves."

"Let me guess, he knows a guy?"

Kate nodded. "That he does. He has guys everywhere."

Judy walked up to the table, their orders in her hands. "Hope I'm not interrupting girl talk but here are your burgers. And I'll go grab those waters real fast." She set down the burgers in front of the two women.

Lanie waved her off. "You're not interrupting, Judy. This smells amazing by the way," she added, rubbing her hands together.

Judy smiled, running over to the kitchen to get their drinks; she was back in a jiffy. "There you go. Sorry for the long wait, we get pretty busy during lunch time."

"Don't worry," Kate smiled, reaching for a fry. "We didn't mind the wait," she informed Judy, eating the salty treat.

"Okay, well holler if you need anything," Judy told them with a wink before leaving.

Lanie took a bite of her burger, a moan leaving her lips. "Man, I haven't had one of these in a long time! They're as good as I remember."

Kate nodded, sipping her water. "Best burgers in town."

Lanie with her mouth full prodded Kate for more information about her date. "So, what happened after Sprinkles?"

She raised a finger; she was chewing on a bite of her burger and didn't want to talk with a ton of food in her mouth. "Well," she began, swallowing. "What happened after was all my doing." Kate waggled her eyebrows up and down in a teasing manner.

The ME gasped her jaw dropping. "You had sex?" She exclaimed, heads turning in their direction.

Kate's eyes grew wide in astonishment. She hastily raised a finger to her mouth. "Shhh! Keep your voice down! People are staring."

"Sorry," Lanie mumbled, mouth still full. "But you had sex? With Castle?"

"No! We did not have sex! On the first date? Really? Come on, Lanie, you know me better than that."

Lanie nervously chuckled, swallowing her food. "So, if you didn't have sex, what did you do?"

Arms crossed, Kate was solid and strong. "I'm not sure if I should tell you now..."

That left Lanie with one option: beg.

"Please! I won't say another word. Promise," Lanie said, sticking her bottom lip out in a pout.

"I don't know...I'm kind liking this whole begging thing. It's a new thing for you."

Lanie scowled at Kate and shook her head. "You're cruel, you know that?"

"Calm down, Lanie. I'm just teasing. You're my best friend, of course I'll tell you."

"You better..." Lanie warned, stealing a couple fries from Kate's plate.

The detective went back to her story. "I took him to Heckscher Playground and we went to the water park area with the sprinklers and fountains. He didn't see it coming. By the end of it we were soaked from head to toe; it was the best date I've ever been on."

Lanie felt a huge smile tugging on her lips. "Aw, that's so romantic. You two are too adorable for you own good, you know that? Good Lord." Kate began to blush, her entire face turning scarlet. She timidly bit her lip, unconsciously twirling a lock of hair. "Look at you," she commented upon seeing Kate blush and twirl her hair. "You're smitten for Castle. Honey, please tell me you told that man how you feel."

She could only nod, her mind reliving what had occurred between them this morning.

Lanie patiently waited for more but she didn't get anything else. Kate was lost in her own little world. "Kate? What did he say when you told him?"

The detective hesitated, her eyes casting down to her half eaten burger. A smile sat on her lips. "He loves me, too." Kate decided on not bothering to tell Lanie about the whole secrets coming out fiasco since the two had worked it out and it was in the past. But if she were to ask, Kate wouldn't lie to her about it.

Her friend squealed at her words, sliding out of her own booth to crush Kate in a fierce hug. "Finally!" She sighed, her arms wrapped tight around Kate.

"Uh, L-Lan?" Kate breathed, choking on air. "I-I can't...breathe."

She immediately released her vice-like grip, oxygen finding its way back into Kate's lungs. "Sorry, girl. I'm just so happy for you," Lanie apologized, remaining next to Kate. "So, does this mean you two are like together now?"

Kate bit her lip in thought. Should she tell Lanie or keep it a secret between her and Rick for a while? She let out a breath of air, preparing herself for the screaming that was about to take place. "Yes, we're-" Kate couldn't finish what she was saying because Lanie squealed and went in for another hug. The ME's strong grip was unrelenting; Kate gave up and hugged her friend back. She made a mental note to let Rick know that Lanie knows about them.

Judy came up whilst the women were hugging. "What's all the commotion over here? Somebody's happy."

Lanie whipped around to face Judy. "They finally got together!" She cheered, giggling and moving back to her own seat.

Judy lit up at the news. She clapped her hands together. "Oh, that's wonderful news! It's about time if I do say so myself."

Kate laughed at the two women who began to talk animatedly about how the couple has been dancing about their feelings for years now and that it was about time they got together officially. It was an amusing sight. Kate decided to use this time to text Rick, see how he's doing.

Hope the boys are being gentle. I told Lanie about us, I hope that's ok. You can tell Tweedle-Dee & Tweedle-Dum if you'd like. I'll be back soon. -KB

She focused her attention back to the other women, a smile remaining on her lips. Judy and Lanie were still talking, but this time about Lanie's work and her love life. Kate sat there smiling, happy. Happier than she's been in a long time. And she couldn't wait to get back to her man. Oh, boy. Rick Castle is my man, she thought, grinning. He's mine.

"Kate? Hello?" Lanie called, waving a hand in front of her face.

She shook her head and gazed at Lanie. "Hmm? You say something?"

Lanie glanced at Judy with a knowing smile. The older woman crossed her arms over her chest, having way too much fun with this. Lanie nudged Kate in the shoulder. "You kind of zoned out on us there. A certain writer consuming your thoughts?"

Kate flat out denied it. "No, not at all."

They didn't buy it for a second. "Sure...whatever you say, sweetheart," Judy stated, neither of them believing the detective.

Her phone beeped, signaling a new text message. Opening her phone she saw that it was from the man of the hour.

They know about us. Boys hounded me for questions & it kinda slipped. I'm hiding out in the break room, please come back ASAP. -RC

Kate quickly replied as the two women looked on, both interested in what the lovebirds were discussing.

Be back soon. Sorry about them :( I'll come save you

She got an immediate reply. Hurry!

Lanie winked at Kate, letting her know that they were just teasing and having fun. "What did Writer Boy say?"

"What makes you think it was him? It could've been my dad or one of the boys."

Lanie raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, because you smile like that when you talk to the boys or your dad. Come on girl, you're in love!"

Kate sighed, shrugging. She had a small smile tugging on her lips, Lanie was right. She was so very much in love and it showed. Judy gave her an understanding look, "okay, we'll stop teasing you, dear. But just know that we really are happy for you and Rick. I've said it before and I'll say it again, you two are adorable and I'm thrilled that you got your acts together."

"Thank you, Judy. That means a lot, really," Kate said sincerely.

"Alright, can I clear this for you?" Judy asked, wiping her hands on a towel that was hooked in the pocket of her apron. Lanie and Kate both grabbed their now empty plates and handed them off to the waitress. "Would you like to see our desert menu? Or you all set?"

"We're all set. We actually have to get going," Lanie said, glancing at her watch.

Kate added on. "Yeah, Rick is being harassed by the boys and I have to go rescue him."

Judy nodded, wiping down their table with her free hand, their plates in her other hand. "That's alright. I've got your check right here," and Judy pulled it out of her apron pocket, setting it on the table. "You two ladies have a great day!"

"You too," they chorused, each getting out their wallets. Judy left, walking to the back. Kate and Lanie paid for their lunch, grabbing their things and heading out.

"I had fun, Lan," Kate said once they got outside. "But I gotta go take care of the man-child."

Lanie yanked Kate into a hug. "We really need to hang out more often. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Sounds good." They each started in opposite directions on their way back to work. "And next time let's talk about your love life for a change!" Kate called with a laugh.

Lanie just waved a hand over her head, not turning around. Kate chuckled, walking back to the precinct. It was definitely nice to have some girl time, but now she had to go take care of her man. Help him escape the boys and their big brother protectiveness.

She sighed, poor Rick.

And there you have it folks! :)

Please leave a review with your thoughts and comments! I'll have the boys and Rick's lunch time up next where our favorite writer is asked a couple of questions. Until next time!

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