"Hey," Rick offered when he found Kate standing in line at the small bistro.

A look of surprise and, maybe anticipation fleeted quickly over her face. She was also somewhat embarrassed that she had left him standing at the bookstore and it was in evidence on her face also. That was the second, or maybe third, time she had left him without saying goodbye. She felt a little ashamed and truly sorry for that kind of action on her part.

"Hey, yourself," Kate softly whispered, not wanting to bring attention to them. The coffeehouse was quite close to the precinct and therefore she was certain she needed to maintain some sort of civility to her encounter. However, she found herself being relentlessly drawn to the endless depths of his crystal clear blue eyes. They were the first thing she had noticed about him and was immediately captivated by their capacity to reach deep into her soul. How could she resist them and him?

"Kate, I just want to talk for a minute. I have thought about you often in the last two years and wondered what happened that evening in San Francisco. I came to the club to see you and found out you had left with no further information about your whereabouts. I have dreamed of this day for two years, longing to seeing you again. May I speak to you, here, at your place, over dinner, somewhere? Please?"

Kate immediately wanted to sit down with him and spend the rest of the day, but knew that wasn't going to happen. She did want to talk to him, find out what they might still have, but could not risk being so close to the precinct at the same time.

"Here," she said, holding out her hand after writing something down on a small piece of paper. She gently slid it into his palm, just as she did two years ago in San Francisco, and smiled as she left.

Rick watched her until she disappeared into the crowds of the sidewalk and then sat to enjoy his coffee and see what she left him. It was a time, and a place. She would meet him tomorrow evening at an unidentified location, having given him only an address. It was the most promising event that had crossed his path in the last two years. He was meeting with his Emerald.

Being the man of mystery he was and to maintain the level of excitement and intrigue, Rick purposely decided not to seek out the address before his meeting with Kate. He went home after finishing his coffee and tried to write. He was still working on his Storm series and wanted to continue but was fidgeting in his office, waiting for his meeting with Kate. The way she had set the meeting made it all seem very cloak and dagger in his active mind. How could he possibly wait that long?

The next day, he was up bright and early, not a small feat for him, to ensure all tasks he had to do for the day were completed early. After lunch, he jumped into his pool size Jacuzzi and spent a relaxing part of the afternoon thinking about Kate and her Emerald persona. She was still the most extraordinary person he had ever chanced upon. She was spectacular as Kate, standing there in her NYPD uniform, legs as long as Lombardi Poplars were tall. She stole his breath just being in the same room with him. He had seen and been with supermodels, Hollywood stars, society icons; but none had stirred him as did Kate. She truly is magnificent.

Four more hours to his meeting with destiny.

Kate hoped for a quiet day at the precinct. She really wanted to follow the path she had set upon in California with Rick and reflected on her abbreviated time with him there.

"What's this?" Royce, her training officer asked, after watching her for a few minutes, "Kate Beckett, all pensive today? Find a new guy?"

Kate looked back at him through her lashes, "Wouldn't you like to know."

Mike Royce simply looked sternly at her, knowing something was up. He had taken personal interest in her after having been assigned as her training officer. He saw a sad damaged woman, but also saw one with an innate empathy, one not learned. He knew in his heart Kate could be one of the best officers he would have the opportunity to guide. He knew she could easily make detective and wondered what such a beautiful intelligent woman was doing in the NYPD. However, he didn't ask, he simply took her under his wing and gave her the best investigative training he could muster. She was destined to be a fine detective, maybe even a Captain in the future. She was special to him and because of that, he cared what was happening to her, professionally and in her personal life. He did not want her hurt more than she had been to lodge the aura of sadness around her.

"Yes, I would like to know! I care about you and don't want some sleaze bag sniffing around you."

Kate rolled her eyes at him, stating, "Wonderful way you have with words there, Royce. And yes, I might be thinking about a guy. Not new though, someone I met a long time ago and just ran into him. Don't worry, he is a true gentleman."

"He better be or he will answer to all of us. You're our little sister and no one messes with you."

"Give me a break, Royce. I can take care of myself," boomed Kate. She didn't need all this nosiness and interference in her life right now. However, she knew Royce was only trying to watch out for the new kid and for someone he didn't want to get hurt.

"Sorry Royce, guess I'm just a little sensitive today. I know you are only trying to help out, but this one is on me, OK?"

"Yeah, OK. Just be careful, there are a lot of 'gentlemen in Rikers'," Royce reminded her.

Kate pondered this but was sure the owner of those deep azure eyes was not one of them. She was getting anxious for her meeting with Rick, not knowing how it might go and also, not knowing how anxious or nervous Rick was to talk with her again.

Kate left the precinct right on time to ensure she kept her appointment with Rick. She did not want to stay in case she was called to assist on a case. As soon as 5:00 clicked over on her the clock, she jumped up and headed for the locker room to change into more suitable street attire, not wanting to wear her blues to meet with Rick. She really hoped this meeting went well and wondered how Rick was feeling about the rendezvous. She was sure he did not know where they were meeting, so she wanted to be certain to arrive before him. Hopefully he would think it was a nice surprise.

When the cab stopped, Rick looked around and then back to the address Kate had given him. This can't be right! He asked the driver and he said, "Yes, this is the correct address. This is where you asked me to take you."

Rick paid the cabbie and exited, looking at the purported rendezvous place. 'What?' was all could think.

As he perused his surroundings, he spotted Kate, swinging lazily on a swing in the children's park. Why would she want to meet here?

Rick walked over to her and sat down in an open swing next to her. She smiled at his large frame in the small swing. "Filling it up there, Castle?" Kate chortled.

"If I had known you were going to meet in a kid's park, I would have suggested a different locale."

"Ok, Ok." Kate said. "No need to get testy just because you don't quite fit," looking at his rear end in the small swing.

Trying to change the subject, Rick asked, "Why did you want to meet here instead of a restaurant or coffeehouse or something like that?"

"This is a good safe place, open and public, but far from the precinct and 'inquiring minds'. I have to know exactly what you're planning in that author's mind of yours. I can't allow my previous 'persona', as you called it, to become common knowledge now that I am a police officer. I have a hard enough time in this male dominated career to have to deal with my past coming out. I was quite young then and many things have changed since that night in your hotel. I need to know I can trust you explicitly before I can even entertain the notion of furthering any relationship we might have had in San Francisco."

Rick was saddened at her words, but still optimistic after hearing Kate's explanation.

"Kate, I told 'Emerald' when we were in L.A. and San Francisco that I would protect her anonymity to the same ardor that the club did. I have mentioned you to no one other than my mother, who was thrilled I had met someone that affected me the way you have. I will not compromise your reputation, your femininity or your position as a police officer. You have haunted my dreams, brightened my worst days and given me hope I may one day find you again and fulfill my desire of cherishing you for all time. You are my destiny. I hope my zeal doesn't frighten you but I assure you I mean you no harm, in any sense of the word."

Kate was still wary, but wondered what she had done to deserve this gentle kind man in her life. She needed to find out how this relationship would blossom if she just trusted him.

She could not, nor did she want to, forget their night of passion in San Francisco. A night of true affection she had yet to realize since then.

But the past two years had hardened her soul, damaged her spirit and hidden her heart away in a dark, locked vault. She had lost the capacity to trust anyone about anything but, inside that cold dark crypt, her heart leapt at the possibility of learning to trust this man, this Richard Castle, her Rick.