Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe

It was Wednesday, and Rick and Kate were walking side by side down the streets of New York. It was cold, but Paula was adamant that this was how they were to spend their next date. According to her, they needed to aimlessly roam around, providing the press with ample opportunity to take the necessary pictures. She was determined to create another featuring article.

"Do a bit of shopping before today, Castle?" Kate questioned, directing her attention to the paper bag the writer was holding.

Brushing off her curiosity, Rick shook his head. "Nah, just something for a bit later," he nonchalantly informed, gazing over their fellow pedestrians.

"Hey, do you see them?"

"Who?" Kate asked, looking at their surroundings.

"Those women over there," Castle clarified, nodding his head slightly to the left. "They're pointing and smiling. They recognise me."

Lifting her head to where he was directing, she shot him a glare.

"See, one of them is coming over," he noted, as the woman in question strode towards them.

"I'm sorry, but are you Richard Castle?" the petite woman questioned, now standing in front of Rick.

She was no older than twenty-five, her face plastered with make-up and a flirty smile.

"Yes, I am," Castle eagerly answered with a grin. "And who might you be?"

"Annie Hurley. It's amazing to meet you," she laughed, shaking his hand. "Do you mind if my friends and I can get a picture with you?"

"Yeah, sure," Rick grinned, watching as the woman quickly ran back to her friends.

Turning to Kate, he gave her a satisfied smile. "One of the perks of the job. Meeting people who have been affected by the words I myself, have arranged on a page," he sighed, contented with his talents.

"Castle, there is no way that woman has read any of your novels," Kate scoffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Why would you say that?" he queried, now shifting his body to face her.

"Look at her. She probably just wants your photo because you're a celebrity bachelor."

"That's not true. You shouldn't judge people on how they look, anyway," he argued.

"I'm not," she clarified. "But as a detective, I know how to read people and I can tell when someone is lying. Trust me, she has never read a page in her life. Ask her who her favourite character is when she comes back," she confidently propositioned, crossing her arms out in front of her.

Considering her suggestion, Rick looked back over to the women who were now making their way towards them. "Fine, but only to prove you wrong," he answered confidently.

"Hi, would you mind taking the picture," one of them asked Kate, handing her their phone.

"Sure," Kate answered with a fake smile.

Once the photo was taken, Castle began to say goodbye, before Kate let out a reminding cough.

"Oh, before you go, just for interest sake, which one of my characters is your favourite?"

"That's easy," the woman began with a smile, "It would definitely be Storm."

Looking over to Kate, Castle expressed a satisfied grin. It was nice to be correct. Especially when it meant that Kate Beckett was wrong.

"I mean, the way you describe Darren to be so courageous and handsome," she quickly continued.

Snapping his head in her direction, Rick nervously cleared his throat, "I'm sorry?"

"That's the reason why Darren Storm is my favourite character," the woman grinned, looking up at him.

You've got to be kidding. Darren? Seriously? Who in their right mind would name their lead character Darren?

"Right, thank you very much for that," Castle sighed as the woman scurried off, unfazed.

Apprehensively turning to Kate who was trying to contain her grin, Rick waited for her to gloat. "Go on; say I told you so," he said as they slowly continued to walk.

"No, it's okay," she exhaled, shrugging her shoulders.

"Really?" he questioned, looking over to her in surprise.

"Yeah," she began, "Although I would have to agree with her. I mean, the way Darren is so courageous and-"

"You're hilarious," he tediously interceded. Pausing for a beat, he soon continued, "Who cares if they don't actually read my books? You know, I should take it as a compliment. It simply means that I'm so handsome and charming, that the women of New York just find themselves helplessly falling for me."

"Ha! Clearly not," Kate scoffed, pointing to herself, "As I would never fall for you even if we were the last two people on this earth."

"Good, because I don't like you either," he was quick to remind, "But that's not the point. The point is that I am a very charming man, with ruggedly handsome features and highly regarded romancing skills."

"Castle, those women didn't even know you, so there's no way it was your romancing skills. You are just another public figure for them to drool over," she informed, sinking her hands in her coat pockets.

"Fine, maybe not my fans then, but the women I date, choose to date," he clarified, "Are mesmerized by me."

"Please," Kate dismissed, picking up her pace.

"I'm serious!" he retorted, getting in to a slight jog to keep up with her.

"Well then, what is it? I mean, it can't be your personality," she teased, giving him a glare for extra measure.

"Funny," he was quick to reply. Considering his next words, he spoke genuinely. "I am actually a nice guy."

"Right, I will believe that when I see it," she mumbled.

"Whoa, you just love throwing around insults, don't you?" he sarcastically questioned.

"To you? Yes," she matter-of-factly informed. "Why do you care what I think anyway?"

He didn't, did he?

"I-I don't," he quickly clarified.

"Good. So I guess it's settled then."

With that conversation over, Rick began to awkwardly swing the bag he was still holding, before suddenly remembering why he had it in the first place.

"Oh, after that little fan encounter, now is probably the perfect time to give you this," he said, wiggling his eyebrows and holding up the paper carrier.

"What is it?" she curiously asked.

Keeping his eyes locked on hers, Rick slowly retrieved the concealed item.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

"It's Storm Clearing," he informed with a grin, holding the novel out for her to see.

Kate nervously gazed upon the colorful dust jacket, before hurriedly fixing her attention on Rick.

"That's not on sale for another five weeks," she noted, pausing in her step.

"Oh, keeping a countdown are we?" he teased. Offering her a smile, "It's an advanced copy, and it's yours," he softly spoke.

She stared at the book, and he could almost see her inner struggle portrayed through her eyes. She was stubborn, he'd give her that, and she seemed adamant on maintaining control.

Once again holding out the novel for her, Rick attempted to coerce her into submission. "Come on, you know you want it. Why can't you just admit it?"

Clearing her throat, Kate shook her head and began to walk. "Because, there's nothing to admit."

Right, she wanted to play that game. Time to turn it up a notch.

"Oh, okay, so you wouldn't mind if I were to, let's say, read the last page out loud?" he asked, hurriedly trying to keep up with her.

"W-what?" she queried, spinning around to face him.

"Cause it would completely ruin the story for anyone who was to read it in the near future. If you're not a fan, then I guess it shouldn't be a problem then, would it?"

Holding her features in a steel gaze, Kate swallowed. "Nope," before continuing their walk.

Moving to catch up, Castle once again strode by her side.

"Great." Opening up to the last page of the book, "Oh, I love this paragraph. The way I expose the killer is genius, if I must say so myself," he smiled at her.

Kate remained focused on the path ahead of her, only watching him from her peripheral vision.

Clearing his throat, Castle deepened his voice and began to read. "Entering the graveyard, Storm came to a halt, as he caught sight of the lone figure." Pausing, he glanced over to Kate who was trying to remain undeterred.

He swore he could almost see a slight twitch of her nose, and with that as enough of a reaction, he continued. "His face was masked by the silhouettes of the tombstones, so Storm-"

"Castle, come on. You're being ridiculous. You can stop," she scoffed, coming to a standstill.

She was breaking, but still remained stubborn as hell.

"Nope, not until you admit it," Castle reiterated with a shake of his head.

They stood opposite each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move, when she suddenly lunged forward in attempt to snatch the book.

Castle managed to jerk away just in time, and began to walk backwards down the street, holding the novel above his head.

"Oh, I see what you tried to do there. Sneaky."

"Castle," she warned, now stalking him.

"Admit it."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Ah, you might want to," looking around, Castle noted the people who were watching them, "Cause you're creating a scene," he tauntingly sing-songed.

"I'm not creating a scene!" she sternly whispered, lowering her head slightly as she hesitantly glanced around.

"All you have to do is say you're a fan. What's the big deal?"

He waited for her to answer, and not getting a response, he shrugged his shoulders. "No? Okay, your choice. Now, where was I," he asked, scanning the page. "Ah-ha, found it."

Once again dropping his tone, Rick continued. "His face was masked by the silhouettes of the tombstones, so Storm cautiously stepped forward. The unknown man remained still, seemingly willing to let him discover his identity. As Storm approached closer, the shadows began to clear, and he unexpectedly found himself face to face with-"

"Just give me the damn book," she huffed, pulling it out of his grasp.

Letting out a chuckle, Rick was pleased with his efforts.

Drawing her eyebrows in a frown, Kate offered him an unsatisfied glare. "Don't gloat, okay. I'm not going to read it, I was just sick of your voice. I will simply give it to a friend, or use it as a doorstop or something," she informed.

"Whatever you say," he replied with a satisfied smile.

"Great. Well I'm going to go now," she notified, playing with the edges of the cover.

"What, to read?"

"No. To do work," she quickly clarified.

"Okay. Now, you realise that next on our schedule is for me to go to your apartment?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'm just making sure that you remembered. Give you adequate time to clean up the place, you know, hide any posters of me you might have lying around."

Catching her threatening stare, he innocently held his hands up with a chuckle. "I'm joking, relax. I won't bring it up again, I promise," he said with a teasing grin.

Staring at him briefly, Kate turned around in a huff and walked away, clutching her new novel firmly in her hands.

Home from his date, Rick was sitting at the kitchen island, eating ice-cream out of the tub.

"Hey, Honey. How was your day?" Rick asked, offering Alexis a spare spoon as she entered the loft.

Resting on the adjacent stool, "Yeah, it was good," she responded.

Looking up, Rick eyed his daughter. Her reply was a bit too innocent for his liking, and he was curious.

"What's with that tone?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes, "I don't like it."

Turning to his mother, who was busy occupying the kitchen, he searched for support. "Did you hear the way her voice raised at the end of that?"

Spinning back to face his daughter, he raised his eyebrows and waited for an explanation.

"I met a boy," she shyly offered.

"Ah-ha, I knew it! Told you something was up," he briefly smiled to Martha. Focusing back on the younger red head, Rick pressed on. "So, how did you meet?"

"He approached me when I was in a store with Paige. He seemed nice, so we chatted for a bit," she casually replied.

"And..."

"We swapped numbers," she paused for a moment to tease her father, but soon continued. "And, I'm seeing him Friday," she finished with a grin.

Straightening up a little Rick frowned slightly. "Right. How old is he?"

"My age."

"Does he go to school?"

"Yes."

"What are his parents like?"

"Richard, leave the poor girl alone," Martha intercepted, collecting a wine glass.

"Dad, stop it. We are only going on one date, not getting married," Alexis clarified.

Looking between the two women, Rick let out a sigh. "Fine, but if you go on more than five dates, I want to meet him."

"Deal," Alexis agreed, once again placing her spoon in the tub. "So, how was your day, Dad?"

"Yeah, okay I guess," Rick began, digging through the ice-cream. "I went out with Kate again," he informed nonchalantly.

"Ah," Martha commented, pouring wine into her glass. "The 'no nonsense, grumpy detective'," she sarcastically added, quoting her son's previous complaints. "You know, despite what you constantly say about her, I would have to agree with Alexis' opinion. Paula, God forbid, may have actually chosen right with this one. She doesn't sound as artificial as her other selections, and at least you don't have to worry about her just going after your fame or fortune," she advised, taking a sip of the red liquid.

Rick glared at his mother, unbelieving. "Oh, come on, not you as well. I don't understand why you both like her so much. You haven't even met her," he argued.

Filling up his spoon and focusing on the tub in front of him, he continued, "You know she smiled for the first time last week. I almost threw a party with the Happy Gods themselves."

He waited for Alexis to collect her ice-cream, before once again allowing his spoon to sink in the mass of frozen chocolate. "You should also hear the way she speaks to me."

Bringing the cool metal to his lips, he swallowed. "And she is so stubborn," he added.

Alexis continued to eat her ice-cream, and Martha took another taste of the wine, both seemingly ignoring his complaints.

"I asked her for a copy of her apartment key the other day and she refused. It was for her safety and she refused. She is just so frustrating," he whinged, now stabbing at the ice-cream with his spoon.

Unhappy with the lack of response, he glanced up at his daughter. "Are you even listening to me?"

Alexis let out a slight grin and shook her head. Bewildered, Rick looked over to his mother, who had the same teasing expression on her face.

"What?" he queried, now looking between the two women in confusion.

"So, you like her then?" Martha noted, as she took a sip of her wine.

"What? No. Did you really not listen to anything I just said? Nothing in that dialogue suggested anything about me liking her!" he adamantly disputed.

"Are you so sure?" Martha asked, raising her eyebrows.

"What's that meant to mean?" Rick questioned, tilting his head to the side and abandoning the ice-cream.

"Well, for someone who you don't like, you sure enjoy talking about her," Martha pointed out.

"Hmm, a lot," Alexis agreed with a smile.

"Oh, come on now. As if you're ganging up on me!" Looking sceptically between the two women, Rick was quick to justify, "I don't enjoy talking about her, I just, need to vent. I've been doing that since I met her. Trust me, I don't like her at all, let alone the way you two are suggesting," he scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Well, why do you care so much about getting a copy of her key?" Alexis put forward.

"Richard, what was with that anyway?" Martha question. "If I was her, I would have refused as well. You hardly know the woman. It's a bit invasive, don't you think?"

"Hey, before you feed me to the wolves, let me explain. Asking for a key was for precaution only, and it didn't mean anything. I would never want anyone to get hurt because of me, no matter who they were. Besides, it was Paula's idea and I simply agreed with it," he dismissed.

"What about your smile. You were smiling when I got home, Richard."

This was getting ridiculous. The fact that they even suggested he liked Kate Beckett was ridiculous. But liking her, liking her? No.

"I wasn't smiling. I was simply amused by the fact that she possibly reads my novels." With a small grin, he carried on, "She didn't want to admit it, so I gave her an advanced copy of Storm Clearing. You should have seen the way she reacted," he reflected, playing with the cold, chocolate dessert. "It was kind of adorable," he mumbled, entranced in his own thoughts.

Listening to his admission, Alexis and Martha both shot their heads up in surprise.

"You just said she was adorable. Oh my God, you totally do like her!" Alexis squealed.

Wait. What?

"I didn't say adorable! I said asmorable," he quickly spat out, "Which is Italian...for great," he fumbled.

Okay, he'd admit. That was terrible.

Looking over to her grandmother, Alexis let out a sigh and rose from the stool. "Okay, Dad, whatever you say. I'm pretty tired so I'm going to bed. I'm telling you though, one day you will look back and see that the signs were there right from the start."

Leaning towards his daughter, Rick gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Not going to happen, but goodnight, Sweetie."

Watching his daughter ascend the stairs, Rick placed the lid on the ice-cream.

"I think I'm going to follow Alexis' example and get my beauty sleep too," Martha informed, walking over to her son.

"Richard, you know that Alexis and I only want what's best for you," she sighed sympathetically. "If this woman is really how you describe, then fine, only do what you have to do until your book launch party. But if she isn't, don't let your own stubbornness get in the way of the possibilities," she strongly advised.

With a look of understanding, Rick offered a grateful smile. "Thank you for your concern mother, but you have nothing to worry about. Besides, it's not just me. Kate hardly gives me the time of day, so the feeling is mutual."

Taking in his response, Martha softened her voice, "Well, a word of advice, Richard. The women who don't seek your attention, they are usually the ones you need to be giving your attention to," she wisely informed, before patting his knee and heading to the stairs.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I'm so sorry this update took so long. I had it completed a couple of days ago but life got in the way and I couldn't post it.

BareWriter