Good day/night/ferret my lovely readers, I return to you on this glorious Friday to offer you a new chapter of Glass Slipper. There was bit of an issue with the notifications last week so if you haven't read the previous chapter go ahead and do that now. Don't worry I'll wait ...have you read it yet? Yes? Excellent. Now before we continue I just want to thank everyone for they're reviews on the 'Temptation' fic (if you haven't read it, just check my profile) and I'm telling you right now, there will be another chapter to get your though the hiatus but that's it. Kepp that excitement in mind as you read this chapter. There's a brief moment where I have a feeling I'm going to fear for my life but we'll see. Who knows, you guys may like it. The only way I'll know is if you review (hint hint) and thank you to those who do. Hopefully the notifications go through properly this time so when I come home from my singing competition, my e-mail will be bursting with love from you guys. Well, get reading :)

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Enjoy 3

The bookstore was completely crowded and it was doubtful actual patrons could even get through the door with the lineup awaiting him as Richard Castle came onto the scene. Staring out into the crowd of mostly women anxiously awaiting their turn, he decided that this was the largest book signing of his to date. They were in a small local bookstore in the nice but by no means expensive area of New York and all but four people in the bookstore were holding his book 'Kissed and Killed' – all but ten patrons were women. Still a little anxious, he offered a kind but apprehensive smile as they finally released the hordes of readers upon him. Well, the hordes came upon him one at a time but the energy that buzzed from these women was ridiculously unavoidable and it made him both very excited and very nervous. He was surrounded by his new Publicity Agent and of course his lovely publisher who hadn't stopped glaring at him since that little article about them that had been posted over a year ago; the glaring had seriously never stopped – he even felt it in his sleep – and it was becoming more and more difficult to concentrate knowing that she was secretly plotting ways to murder him in his sleep with his own body parts. Ooh, that was a good plot idea; he looked up to Gina to ask for a piece of paper but was met with a deep, piercing glare and as he felt his genitals retract into his person he figured he would just remember it for later. In the mean time, he had to focus on being charming and friendly to his guests – not that it was hard looking at the women who were looking back at him like he was a delicious, juicy piece of meat whom they'd already slept with in their mind.

With each smile and each passing fan, he grew more confident in himself and his work – after all, all these people couldn't be wrong – and the hours ticked by faster and faster until it was mid-afternoon and the end of the line was finally visible from his table at the back of the store. As he signed his signature, asking simple questions that had all the girls sighing, he observed the crowd slowly approaching him. Most of the women were blondes – or perhaps he only picked out blondes in his head because he was thinking about…not Gina – with insecure, predatory eyes. Desperate housewives, he decided, fantastic. The red heads – with the exception of a burly thirty-something man – were all petite and dainty with their hair stylized and their dresses short; lonely business women, even better. As he continued his scan of the dwindling crowd his eyes caught sight of one brunette standing near the back of the crowd, clutching the hard cover to her chest and biting her lip as she looked over the blondes and red heads to see her position in line. Her hair was just past her shoulders and flowing as though it belonged in a shampoo commercial and those eyes; he knew those eyes anywhere.

"Alison?" He called suddenly, startling the three women in front of him including Gina and his PA. The only person who didn't look up was the woman he was calling; it had to be her, he hadn't stopped thinking about her since the night they met and he couldn't get those eyes out of his head for the life of him. He was about to call again when his cell phone began to ring and he pulled it out – his eyes still on Alison's – and flipped it open. "Hello?" He was silent for a few moments, his eyes growing wider but trying desperately to hide his panic. "Oh; thank you, I'll be right there." Sometime during the brief conversation he had stood up which made the next part much easier. "Sorry ladies – and gentlemen" he lowered his voice then to offer a little manly support "but I'm afraid I must cut our meeting short. I seem to have overbooked myself and I must attend to my other lovely fans like you." The two women at his side immediately stiffened, searching their internal calendars for what the hell he could be referring to. Finding nothing, Gina turned on him.

"Rick what are you doing?" She spoke in a harsh whisper as the immediate crowd began to dissipate. "We're booked until six o'clock."

His eyes were serious and steady. "That was Alexis's school, they said I need to come and pick her up."

Gina was silent, staring into his eyes for a long moment before they softened. "I'll drive." She decided, grabbing her coat from the bookshelf behind her.

Somewhat – very – stunned, Rick paused. "Gina you don't need to come."

She looked at him as she pulled the jacket onto her shoulders, her eyes never leaving his. "Just in case?" And then it hit him; she was worried about Alexis too. Being one of the few people outside of his immediately family who knew about Alexis, he shouldn't have been surprised but he was; and he was also touched – enough to nod and grab his jacket before turning to look to his right.

"Paula, can you…"

"Don't worry sweet pea," She drawled, touching his arm with a perfectly manicured nail as she popped her gum saucily "I'll clean up your mess here."

"Thank you…" His voice trailed off as his eyes, again, scanned the nearly empty bookstore for any sign that he hadn't just imagined Alison's sudden appearance but she was nowhere to be seen. Furrowing his eyebrows, he shook his head before following Gina out the backdoor to go and rescue his daughter from the big, bad school.

Kate was admittedly very disappointed. She'd waited there for nearly an hour only to get in the door and find herself kicked out. She hadn't even gotten a glimpse of her new favourite author. Admittedly she had grown very attached to Richard Castle and his books over the last few years and she had seen the back cover of his novels so often that she swore he looked vaguely familiar. But this would have been the first time meeting him in person and she'd spent her entire lunch break standing between a busty blond and a burly red head that made her both claustrophobic and very glad that when she looked down, she could see her own feet. Still, she was stuck walking back to the precinct having accomplished nothing and feeling rather hungry from lack of actual food in her stomach. Oh well, she decided, who needs food when you can just focus on work and catch some bad guys. Since being recently assigned to the homicide unit, she had found her calling in so many ways. She hadn't looked at her mother's case file in years but it still crossed her mind now and again and getting to catch the bad guys gave her daily hope that one day she would be arresting her mother's killer. It would happen.

Shaking her head to banish the negative thoughts, she entered the twelfth precinct and ascended to the correct floor, entering onto a familiar, bustling scene. She headed to her desk in the corner only to be stopped by her new captain who subtly summoned her into his office. Through the blinds she could see a suited man not much older than her with light brown hair and haunting blue eyes. Her heart did not flutter just at the sight of his dimpled smile through the blinds of her captain's office – that would be swooning and Kate Beckett did not swoon. Keeping her head low so as to not get lost in his eyes she closed Captain Montgomery's door and keep her eyes focused on him. "You wanted to see me sir?"

"Yes," he began, sitting stoically at his desk – she always used that word to describe him because it just seemed so fitting "it seems that the F.B.I. has decided to step in to assist us on the Kreline case."

She did a double take "The murder/kidnap case?" No matter what therapy she had gone through, she would always hate when people assumed that she needed help – not that she would admit when she did.

"They're going to help you find Andrea's son."

"But sir-" She stood to protest but was quickly silenced.

"No buts, detective. If you want to find Andrea's killer you need to find her son."

Trying hard not to roll her eyes, she turned swiftly to the agent who jumped back slightly at the suddenness of her glare and her heart fluttered despite her frustration. "Fine, we'll work together." She conceded, offering him her hand.

He stepped forward and took it, his hands rough but not enough to bother her. "Detective Beckett," Montgomery introduced "meet Agent Sorenson with the F.B.I."

"Just call me Will." Oh god his voice was like butter. Kate cleared her throat.

"Kate." She offered sweetly as he squeezed her hand gently. "I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise." He smiled. This was going to be an interesting case and despite her earlier disappointment, today was definitely looking up.