Author's Note-The response to this has been epic! Thank you all so much! NYLF xx

Kate watched the coffee swirl as she stirred it aimlessly with her spoon. The fact she had been stirring it for the past five minutes went unnoticed by her, but certainly drew Rick's attention. He just didn't know what to say. He knew nothing about this woman, short of she had good taste in books, she was beautiful, her name was Kate, short for Katherine, and she was inconsolably sad.

Rick's phone buzzed in his pocket and he retrieved it, reading the text before sending off a quick reply and putting it back in his pocket. When he was done, he noticed that Kate was watching him curiously.

"My mother." He offered, shrugging. Kate gave a half nod.

"You need to leave?" She asked softly. Rick shook his head as he considered her. Someone close to her had clearly left, in whatever capacity, recently. His leaving seemed to cause her anxiety but she kept coming back to it.

"She was just letting me know that my daughter had gone down for her nap." That caught Kate's attention.

"You have a daughter?" Rick smiled softly.

"Yeah. Alexis, she's four." He took out his wallet, removed the picture from it, and handed it to Kate. She couldn't help but smile at the tiny angel-faced redhead, reading a book, sat cross-legged on the floor.

"She's gorgeous." Kate smiled, handing back the picture. Rick took a moment to glance at it, smiling fondly, before putting it back.

"I certainly think so." He grinned. "She's so grown up." Kate smiled. "I'm hoping desperately that her mother leaving doesn't mess her up." Kate's smile faded as she looked back down at her coffee. "Hey, what'd I say?" Rick asked curiously noticing the sudden change in her expression.

"Her," she cleared her throat, "her m-mom left?" Rick nodded slowly. "When?"

"She had just turned three. Meredith's career was more important apparently." He tried hard to keep the bitterness from his tone.

"That's tough." Rick considered her, wondering if it was safe to take the opening or not.

"Your mom leave too?" Shit, he thought, definitely the wrong thing to say. She basically crumpled before his eyes. He reached out and took her hand in his. "I'm sorry. I'm an idiot, always putting my foot in my mouth." She shook her head.

"It's okay." She told him weakly. "My uhh, my mom died." Rick swallowed hard at the pain in her eyes, the shake in her voice. "She was murdered, two weeks ago."

"Oh Kate." He sighed. "I'm sorry." She shook her head. "I knew something had happened, I mean, obviously, but...God Kate I'm so sorry." She shrugged.

"I'm taking it better than my dad." She chuckled darkly. "I turned to books, he turned to the bottle. B's seem to be a common theme with the Beckett's. Books booze and butchered." She shook her head, the disappointment and bitterness barely masking the horrendous soul wrenching pain in her voice. Rick felt his heart drop for her.

"I, I don't know what to say. I guess you've heard 'sorry' enough to last you a lifetime huh?" She flashed him a tiny smile.

"Kinda yeah." Rick sighed, mentally weighing up the pros and cons of continuing with this line of conversation and changing the subject.

"You have excellent taste in books you know." Kate looked at him confusedly for a moment before granting him a grateful smile.

"Thanks." He flashed her a smile.

"How did you enjoy the one you were reading today?"

"My mother started reading the genre when I was born; it feels like reading his books, it's like keeping a connexion to her. He's also really talented." Rick smiled. "Then again, you know that, don't you, Mr Castle?" Rick had the good grace to look embarrassed.

"I honestly promise you that all of this isn't a ploy to get compliments." He assured her softly. Kate nodded.

"I know. You could have just said so, you know?" Rick shrugged.

"I guess maybe I wanted to be able to comfort you, support you, without the status getting in the way. I wanted it to be about you." Kate blushed and ducked her head. "I guess the last couple of weeks have been all about everyone else huh? The cops, family, your dad. Has anyone actually had a conversation with you that didn't consist of a pitying look and more-than-a-little-patronising remarks?" Kate shrugged.

"I understand the need for it. I lost my mother, but my father lost his wife, his soul mate and best friend. He needs me more than I need him." She murmured slightly robotically.

"You wanna try that again and make it sound less rehearsed?" She flashed him a wry smile. "Kate, you don't need to pretend with me. I genuinely want to help, and if that means you rant at me about how unfair life is, or you cry on my shoulder, or we talk about anything but, I'm okay with that. I don't want you to feel that you have to put on a brave face for me."

"You have only just met me." She reminded him in a tiny voice. "Surely the girl you've been watching in the library is a better image of me than the blubbering one?" Rick smiled at her, gently taking her hand in his.

"Kate, look at me." He waited until she took his eye before continuing. "I have known you for under an hour, but I feel like I've known you for years, and that isn't a line, it's the truth. I want to be your friend if you'd let me. Maybe offer you some support. I'd prefer to spend time with the real you, than the image I created. Don't pretend with me, just be you." Kate wiped away a stray tear before chuckling thickly.

"Thank you, Rick." Her voice was so soft he almost missed it.

"Always, Kate." She refused to let her brain overanalyse his response. She simply squeezed his hand gently, giving him a soft smile before drinking her by now lukewarm coffee.