" Dad ! What are you doing here?" Kate asked, suddenly aware that her shirt was unbuttoned farther than her father should see.
"Well, I told you I would be arriving on Monday night and it's Monday night so I guess I'm arriving" Jim said, getting past her in the apartment. "Oh, I didn't know you had company…" he added, noticing Rick, who had miraculously managed to put his shirt back on in a record time.
"Oh yeah, Dad, this is Richard Castle, Rick, my dad Jim Beckett"
"Pleasure to meet you sir" Rick said, shaking quite nervously the hand Jim was offering him.
"So … you're the partner right?"
"Yes sir"
"Professional or personal partner? Jim asked, looking threateningly at Rick
"Dad! What are you doing?" Kate asked, breaking the contact between the two men by taking Rick's hand
"Professional or personal?" Jim repeated, still fixing Castle
He looked at Kate before answering . "Both sir" he said
"Good answer" Jim said, smiling "Oh and by the way, you missed a button" he pointed to Rick's shirt before going to the kitchen
"Oh my God what was that?" he asked Kate, checking his shirt
"I don't know, but you ran right into it" she laughed, taking both his hands
"What?"
"You didn't miss any button" she answered, getting closer "which is particularly impressive knowing that you didn't have a shirt at all a few seconds before" she whispered in his ear
"Kate … your father is in the next room…" he breathed roughly
"I know" she said simply, stepping back and facing him. "He will have to get used t you and to us, because I'm not letting you go … ever" she said, kissing him quickly.
"So, what were you guys doing when I arrived?" Jim asked, coming back with a glass of water
"Uh …we were going to have a picnic in the living room" Rick answered quickly when he saw Kate turn deep red "would you like to join us Mr Beckett?"
"Sure, sounds fun" Jim said
"I'm going to get some plates" Kate said, going in the kitchen, too happy to get away from her father to calm down.
When she came back, her father and Rick were putting the blankets on the floor. Rick took the food out of his plastic bag when he saw her arriving with plates. The three of them sat down and started eating and talking about everything and anything. Jim was very curious. He wanted to ask Kate a million questions about her new boyfriend. But he knew his daughter better. He knew that she would not answer. So he decided to study them instead. As dinner went on, he was completely stunned by their behavior. He had never seen his daughter so at ease with someone. They had started dinner sitting in a triangle, now she was sitting between Rick's legs facing him. They were eating and laughing, completely at ease. She seemed to really trust him. He hadn't seen her that carefree. He hadn't met many of her boyfriends but he liked Richard. He seemed to bring the real Katherine Beckett out of her shell, just as she was before all these horrible things happened to her and to them. He continued to watch them, discreetly, at least that's what he thought. Kate had noticed him from the start but didn't change for his sake. She wanted him to know that Rick was the one, her one and done. That's probably why she wasn't embarrassed to be sitting in that position with her father directly opposite her. That's why she didn't push Rick's hand when he put it on her thigh. Rick was doing some studying on his own. He was intrigued by the relationship between Kate and her father. They seem to communicate through behavior more than words. He knew that his family was gifted with words and expressing their feelings and that she was not, but they had their own language. When he noticed that both Kate and Jim Beckett were lost in their thoughts, he stayed quiet for a while, a real challenge for him. When he turned his head around the room, he saw that it was already almost 11pm. He hated himself to break such a pleasant and peaceful mood, but it was time for him to leave.
"Kate" he whispered in her ear, trying not to start her
"mm" she answered, settling even more in his embrace
"It's getting late, I really need to go, Alexis will start calling everyone I know if I'm not home soon"
"I thought it was the parent's role to make sure their children didn't come home after curfew, not the other way around" she laughed, starting to move from him
"I know … but she's the reasonable one in the family" he said, kissing her hair before letting her go and getting up
"You have children?" Jim asked, really surprised
"Yes, a daughter, she is eighteen, she is absolutely fantastic. Did you know she …"
Kate did not need to hear what he was saying. She could read all his admiration for his daughter in his eyes. That was what got to her first, his dad side. And she always wondered how he could have ended up with a kid like her. Her phone rang and started her. She went for it and gave it to Castle.
"I think she is starting to call all your contacts" she laughed.
"Hey Sweetie! I …" He was cut off by Alexis but Kat couldn't understand what she was saying "I'm at Kate's … Yeah I know but … yes … yes … no … I know but … ok, I'm leaving right now" he hang up before she could say anything else "I feel like I'm the child here, she just grounded me" he pouted, giving Kate her phone back.
"Well, you are a child most of the time anyway Rick" she laughed
"Well, I really should get going now, before she comes and get me here" he said, taking Kate's hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you sir" he said, shaking Jim's hand
"Please call me Jim" he said, noticing the smile on his daughter's face. He watched them get to the door, Kate still holding on to his hand. He just couldn't believe how she was acting with Rick. She seemed deeply committed in this relationship. He smiled slightly when he saw them kissing at the door. When he noticed that they were not sharing a simple good night kiss, he turned around and started gathering the things that were still on the floor, embarrassed to see his daughter kissing, no, literally eating her boyfriend. Of course, he knew that she was 'sexually active' as they say in the books. He just didn't need to be reminded of it too often, and certainly not witness it. He just wanted her to stay his little girl. He turned around when he heard the door close. Kate was smiling as he had never seen her before. He was happy for her.
"So, how long have you been together?" he asked
"Uh … a bit more than three hours" she said, after having checked her watch and settling in her couch
"Really?" Jim asked, more than surprised by her answer "But it seems so … natural, between the two of you"
"I know" she said, blushing and hiding her face in her hands
"Hey, I'm happy for you, really" Jim said, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him "but please don't kiss him like that in front of me, I don't want to think of you like … a full grown woman. I want you to stay my little Katie Butterfly"
Kate was really surprised by her father but she liked that he was approving of Rick. She cuddled into her father and closed her eyes. For the first time in a long time, she felt really at home. After a few minutes of silence during which they were both lost in their thoughts, Kate got up.
"Well, I'm going to bed now. You never know when you're going to be called for a murder" she said "I'll let you settle in the guest room"
"No problem sweetheart. Go get some sleep" Jim said.
Little did she know that it would be almost all the sleep she was going to get in the whole week