~XOXOX~

Castle stepped into the courtyard and suddenly found himself in a green, peaceful oasis right in the middle of the hectic life of Manhattan and for a moment he just stilled to take it all in. The trees offered enough shielding from the sun to make the heat bearable, the sandbox was small but well-kept as were the seesaw and the swing set in the furthest corner of the small park where he finally spotted Kate and Jamie. The two of them had yet to notice his arrival and so he took the opportunity to just observe for a while, risking that the coffee he was holding for Kate would get cold.

Kate was sitting on one of the swings, Jamie in her lap with an arm securely wrapped around the girl's middle, the other one holding on to one of the strings and he had never seen Kate so radiant, so free. Even from afar he could see the sparkle in her eyes, so much joy as if for once, she didn't have a care in the world. It suited her and he was mesmerized, couldn't take his eyes off of her, realizing once more just how beautiful she was.

"Mommy, look Rick!" Jamie exclaimed, unceremoniously ending his secret spying session and he quickly set into motion to cover up his staring.

"Hey you two," he greeted them, handing over Kate's coffee for which she reached with a surprised look on her face, was this his thing now? Bringing her coffee? And how did he even know she was a coffee junkie, craved for the brown liquor as others for sunlight.

"It's a Vanilla Latte," he explained, "I hope you like it."

"Like it? It's my favorite," she smiled shyly up at him and Castle bounced on his feet with joy, he did it. He'd made her smile and it wasn't vanishing either, was actually still on her face when she took her first sip, closing her eyes as she clearly enjoyed the hot beverage despite the temperatures.

"Thanks Castle," she finally said, letting Jamie down and getting up from the swings.

He just smiled at her like an idiot, until his attention was pulled downwards as Jamie was pulling on his jeans.

"And me?" She asked, pointing at the coffee cups that the adults were holding.

Castle kneeled down in front of her, reaching for the bag he had carried over his shoulder and was actually a carry-on cooler, "Let me see what I can do for you," he told his daughter and made a big show of rummaging through the box until he pulled out a Popsicle, "Ice cream okay with you?"

Jamie shrieked in delight, reaching for the Popsicle with clumsy fingers and Castle feared the treat might land in the sand after all.

"Uhm Jamie, didn't you forget something?" Kate asked, giving her daughter an expectant look.

"Thanks," Jamie hastily added, before returning her attention to the unwrapping of the cool surprise with which Castle helped her quickly.

Seeing that his daughter was momentarily occupied he returned his attention to her mother, sitting down on one of the swings and watching her do the same, "How did your special assignment go? Or is that classified?" He asked sheepishly, the casual talk had worked quite successfully the other night on the phone and her smile made him brave enough to try it again.

"I'm with the NYPD not the CIA," she laughed, keeping an eye on Jamie who had already managed to get ice cream all over her face.

"So you can talk about it?" He questioned, pushing himself off the ground and setting the swing into motion.

"No, it's an ongoing investigation, sorry." He could tell she wasn't sorry at all.

"Oh come on," he whined, "just a little something. Like was it a stake-out or an undercover mission? Were you dressed as a," he glanced quickly into Jamie's direction, before mouthing the word 'hooker'.

Kate's eyes widened, "What?"

"Oh my God!" He exclaimed a bit too loud, "You totally were."

"Castle." She hissed, "Would you keep it down? Geez."

"But I'm right, am I?" He whispered, causing her to roll her eyes, he thought it was adorable. "You were dressed like a -," she stopped him.

"Don't say it." She warned.

"Okay, okay," he raised his hands in surrender. "But I'm right?"

She rolled her eyes again, but he could see the smile in them as well and though she didn't give him a verbal answer, the look on her face was confirmation enough.

"Awesome." He beamed. "And did you -," she cut him off again.

"Castle, I'm not discussing this with you, especially not with our daughter sitting right over there," and this actually did shut him up.

When she looked at him again, he had a dumbstruck expression on his face and for a second she wondered what she had said that would make him look like – oh, our daughter – she had said our daughter. She took a deep breath. She had carefully avoided to create a 'we' between them so far, even though, of course they were Jamie's parents. What was this man doing to her that she let down her guard so easily? That she seemed to throw all cautions to the wind, strayed from the path she had been so eager to follow. What happened to being careful and taking it slow? But it really shouldn't surprise her; after all he had done it before.

"Rick?" Jamie saved her mother from further questions as she watched Rick jump down from the swings and walking over to the girl.

"Hey there," Rick greeted, sitting down next to his daughter. "What do you want to do? Sandbox?"

Jamie's answer was swallowed by a loud thunder, causing all three of them to look up to see dark clouds gathering above them were just minutes ago the sky had been bright and blue.

"They said it would only rain in the evening," Kate said, scrunching her nose. "I guess they were wrong."

"Home mommy?" Jamie asked, looking heartbreakingly disappointed.

"I'm sorry Baby Bird, but yes, we have to go home." Kate kneeled down in front her daughter, tapping her nose with her finger, but the gesture didn't elicit the usual smile. Kate looked at Rick to her left who looked likewise disappointed.

"And Rick?" Jamie lifted her tear filled eyes to meet her mom's. Kate knew how much her daughter had been looking forward to see him again and it broke her heart a little to see her so sad.

"We will set up a new date Jamie," Rick tried to come to Kate's rescue, not wanting her to feel pressured to offer something she wasn't ready to just because her daughter was almost crying.

"When?" Jamie asked, taking in a shaky breath.

Now Kate found herself pinned by two sets of the same blue eyes, while the wind picked up and she felt the first drops falling down on them. Taking a deep breath she made a decision, it was inevitable anyway, wasn't it? "How about Rick comes home with us and you two can play there for a while?"

"Yay!" Jamie shrieked, jumping up, while Castle's face almost made Kate laugh. She had definitely taken him by surprise.

"Are you sure, Kate?" He asked quietly, not believing she had just invited him to her home after all her reservations and her demand to take things slow.

"Come on Castle, before we're all soaking wet," she simply shrugged and turned, letting him sit on the ground with amazement and wonder shining in his eyes. He couldn't believe the change he witnessed in her today. He just hoped it would last. That she wouldn't regret all the progress they were obviously achieving today, hoped it wouldn't be one step forward and two steps back.

They ran, the rain beating down on them, Kate carrying their bags while Jamie sat on Castle's hip, giggling all the way and cheering Castle on to go faster. Apparently for the little girl there was nothing greater than being carried through the downpour.

They stopped in front of an apartment building, nothing fancy but well-kept and Kate fumbled through her bag to pull out her keys to finally let them escape the rain. They stumbled into the foyer of Kate's building, Castle and Jamie crashing into Kate's back, when she suddenly stopped to shake off the rain.

They all scattered forward and Kate would have fallen if Castle hadn't caught her with his free arm, successfully pinning her back to his chest.

"Whoa, easy," he gasped as she found her footing again and slowly turned around not to slip on the already wet floor, finding herself suddenly incredibly close to him.

A fact that didn't go unnoticed by Rick as his eyes moved on their own account down to her lips, before he quickly turned them up again. Don't even think about it, he told himself.

"Well don't bump into me," she replied, but he could tell she wasn't really angry.

He just shrugged, turning to start for the stairs, thinking it was best not to comment on that, "Which floor?"

"Castle," she called him back as he was already halfway up the first flight of stairs, "It's on the sixth and there is an elevator."

He made a funny expression and then came back down to step into the waiting elevator with her.

"Didn't see that," he huffed, repositioning Jamie on his left hip to lean against the wall with his right one.

"Mmh," was her only reply accompanied by a slight nod of her head but he could see the corners of her mouth twitching as she turned away from him.

They stepped into her apartment, Castle stopping in the hallway letting Kate take Jamie from him and watching her disappear behind a door while he stayed put. He was nervous and unsure what he was or what he was not allowed to do, deciding that it was probably best to wait for further instructions.

"Castle?" he heard her call from behind the door. "Get in here before you flood my whole apartment."

He left his shoes next to the front door and stumbled forward, almost tripping over the bags Kate had left on the floor. Cautiously he stuck his head around the doorframe, only to be hit straight in the face by a towel.

"Dry yourself off," Kate told him, while she was already done putting fresh clothes on Jamie.

"What about you?" He asked, while running the towel through his hair, noticing how her wet clothes clang to her body, her wet curls messily sticking to her head.

"In a minute," she replied. "I gotta find some clothes first."

Giving her daughter a quick kiss on the nose, she shoved her into the direction of the door, "You're good to go, Baby Bird. Go wait in the living room. Maybe you can already find something for you and Rick to play with."

Jamie nodded and trotted off, while Castle stood in the middle of the small bathroom, clutching the towel to his chest as if he was trying to cover himself. "Do you have a blow-dryer?" He asked gesturing down at his soaked jeans and shirt.

She gave him a once over and shook her head, "That would take forever. Let me see if I can find something for you to wear while we put your stuff into the dryer." She suggested before leaving him alone in the bathroom. He frowned, something for him to wear? Did this mean she had men's clothes at her place? Not that is was any of his business, but the thought made him uneasy. Hadn't she said it was just her and Jamie? He huffed, running the towel through his hair once more, starting to look around to distract him. He noted how small her bathroom was, not only compared to his, but in general and yet she had managed to create a cosy atmosphere, made the best of the small space she had and he liked it. He liked it a lot. He took a step towards the shower cabin, but quickly took a double step back. Were those? He took a step forward again, this time prepared for the sight and yes, those were extremely sexy silk thongs hanging in her shower to dry. He took a deep breath. Wow. Another breath. Was she wearing those under her uniform? Now that brought images to his mind. He took another tentative step towards her lingerie when the door suddenly swung open, making him jump before revealing Kate in a dry pair of jeans and a loose shirt, her wet curls still framing her face and he could just stare.

"Something wrong?" She asked when he didn't say anything.

"Ah, no. No." He shook his head. "Everything is fine. Just fine."

She furrowed her brows, but didn't ask any further, instead throwing a bundle of clothes at him. "Here try these on. Might not be your style but I guess it will do for a while."

"Thanks," he stuttered, before watching the door close behind her again.

He looked ridiculous. The shirt, which was probably way too big on her, was a tight fit on his torso and the pants, he had no idea what they even were. Definitely not men's clothes that was for sure. He looked stupid and he didn't want to face her looking stupid.

"Castle?" He flinched at the sound of her voice. "Are you coming out of there anytime soon?"

"Uhm yeah, but don't laugh," he slowly opened the bathroom door, stepping out into her hallway and of course she did laugh when she saw him, didn't even have the dignity to try and hide it.

"Well my maternity pants certainly look good on you," she snorted, "Or should I say paternity pants?"

"Maternity Pants? Seriously Beckett?" He looked down at himself his voice a high pitch, maternity pants, but he couldn't help it, he had to laugh as well. They stood next to each other in her hallway, laughing and it felt good.

"Come on, Castle. Jamie is getting impatient," she took the lead and he followed her into the living room, trying to take in as much as he could on his way. Who knew when he would get another chance to get this close to them, to be in their home? He knew Kate hadn't planned to take him home with them and just because she'd made an exception didn't mean an invitation like this would happen again anytime soon.

He liked her apartment, as the bathroom it was small, but she had made it a home for herself and Jamie. The kitchen was right next to the living room and he could see her rummaging through cupboards, pulling out glasses and crackers while he made his way over to Jamie who sat on the floor in front of a mountain of toy blocks.

She looked up at him and chuckled, "You look funny."

"Yeah?" He grinned back, letting his large frame sink down next to her. "Always happy to entertain you, Milady."

"Build castle?" His daughter asked next, pushing some of the blocks over to him and he could hear Kate chuckle in the kitchen, causing him to smile as well.

"Sure, we are building another castle," he nodded, placing the first two blocks next to each other.

It was almost two hours later that Kate emerged from wherever she had disappeared to after she had set them up with drinks and snacks, leaving father and daughter alone with their construction project. But now she was leaning over the back rest of the couch, watching the two of them putting the final touches to their castle.

"It looks great," Kate complimented, before walking around the couch to get a better look at everything.

"It does, right?" Castle replied and yet again she found herself pierced by the same sets of blue eyes.

And she couldn't deny it; the two of them looked great together and for the first time it made her happy, filled her with hope that for once, at least for her daughter things were working out.

"I put your clothes into the bathroom if you want to change out of those," she pointed at the current ensemble he was wearing.

"Yeah," he chuckled, "That sounds good. Thank you."

She nodded leaving the two alone again as she made her way into the kitchen to prepare dinner for herself and Jamie.

She was cutting vegetables and startled a bit when he suddenly showed up behind her.

"Hey," she chuckled nervously, looking at him and noticing just how tight her shirt was clinging to his chest, his very muscular chest.

"I will go change and then I'll get going. Leave you two to it," he spoke softly, not wanting to overstay his welcome. He was just so happy how things had worked out today between them he didn't want to ruin it by giving her the feeling she needed to offer more than she was ready to.

"Okay," she nodded unsure what the protocol requested from her right now, so she thought it was best to keep her mouth shut and instead watched him shuffle out of the kitchen and disappear into the bathroom.

Should she ask him to stay for dinner? She wasn't sure, she had already agreed to so much more today than she had planned to, with him being here and Kate wasn't sure if she was ready for more. She was positively surprised she had been so cool about it so far and maybe she shouldn't push herself, only to disappoint him when she realized it was too much.

She watched him as he returned, dressed in his own clothes and sitting down next to Jamie again, listened to his low spoken words.

"I had a lot of fun today Jamie, thank you," he said, "but I have to go home now."

She saw her daughter turn towards him and for a second she wondered what Jamie would do, as she got her short legs under herself and pushed off from the ground.

"Bye Rick," she mumbled and Kate could tell her girl was not happy to see him go already.

"Bye Jamie," Rick replied and then all the air left his lungs as his little girl threw her arms around his neck and pulled herself close. His arms wrapped around her automatically and when his eyes met Kate's over the kitchen counter, she was smiling softly at the two of them.

And then Jamie's soft lips touched his cheek and his heart stopped as she whispered into his ear, "I like you."

Rick had to bit down hard on his tongue not to be overwhelmed by his emotions, yet his voice was shaking when he replied, "I like you too, Jamie. I like you a lot."

Jamie untangled herself from him and Rick got back on his feet walking over to Kate who was still watching them from the kitchen counter. He had to clear his throat before he was able to speak again and it helped that the soft smile was still on her lips.

"So," he sighed.

"Yeah?" She raised one eyebrow at him.

"I better get going," he started a new attempt. "Dinner seems to be almost ready."

"Okay," she nodded and watched him turn towards the door to get his shoes, while Jamie came running towards them and before Kate knew it the words had left her mouth without her permission, "Do you want to stay for dinner?"

They both stared at each other surprised.

~XOXOX~