A/N: It's here! Part 1 of 2. This chapter didn't go exactly how I expected and then I ended up just splitting it in half but I still liked it and so did my editor. Part 2 should be up soon.

Side Note: Record high story views on the last chapter. That just makes me happy! :)

Happy Reading! ;)

"Dad," Alexis said as she stood in the doorway of her father's office. He didn't look up from the book he was currently clutching. "Dad," Alexis said again. Rick turned to the next page. "DAD!" Alexis yelled. Castle immediately dropped the book and looked up fearfully at his daughter.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"Apparently your hearing is what's wrong. Ryan and Esposito are leaving. Are you coming to say goodbye?" Alexis said, somewhat annoyed.

"Oh, of course." Rick wheeled himself out from behind his desk and to his daughter's feet. He gently nudged her leg and looked up at her with puppy dog eyes. Alexis rolled her eyes, a habit Rick didn't remember but reminded him exactly of Kate.

As Alexis positioned herself behind the wheelchair, she asked "What were you reading?"

"HeatWave. It's really good." He paused for a moment. "Was it really based off Kate and me?"

"Yes," Alexis nodded, not realizing the effect it had on her father. Rick's face broke into a smile, finally understanding the relationship between him and Kate. Or so he thought.

"Really?" Kate asked excitedly to the partners standing with her in the foyer. They nodded in agreement. "And you're sure you don't need help with anything?"

"No, Beckett," Ryan responded.

"We do not want to see your face at any point tomorrow," Esposito added. Kate glared at them.

"Gee, thanks guys."

"You can always do our paperwork if you're not happy," Espo said.

"No, no. I really appreciate this. Thank you."

"What?" Alexis asked as she pushed Rick out of the office.

"I don't have to go to work tomorrow," Kate said in a sing-songy voice as she did a small dance of joy.

"Why not?" Rick asked.

"Trying to get rid of me Castle?"

"Never." He responded solemnly.

"They are in the middle of a case, and it looks pretty cut and dry, so they figured why bother bringing me in the middle of it?"

"And you don't miss the station?"

"I've barely left it in the past month. The bodiless break is enough. Plus, it's kind of quiet there now." Kate's eyes widened at her slip-of the tongue.

"Oh really, why?" Rick asked curiously. It took Kate a second.

"The new Captain's a real hard-ass." Ryan and Esposito laughed.

"That she is. We gotta get going, Beckett. Castle, man, good seeing you," Esposito said.

"Keep healing dude. Alexis, it was nice seeing you," Ryan added. The redheaded gave a polite smile. "And Beckett we will NOT see you tomorrow. Bye." The two partners exited the loft.

"Yay! Kate, since you don't have to work tomorrow you can stay the night again. What movie do you want to watch?" Alexis said excitedly.

"Alexis, sweetie, maybe Kate wants to go home tonight," Rick informed.

"Oh." Alexis sounded sad. "Right, of course. I wasn't thinking. Sorry, Kate."

"No," Kate said quickly. "I mean, if it's okay with you Castle, I'd love to stay another night."

"You're always welcome, Detective," Rick said with a smile. He caught Kate's smiling eyes. They were able to share a quick look that neither of them knew what it meant, before their Alexis grabbed the adult's attention.

"Yay!" Alexis repeated. "Now," she grabbed Kate's hand and began pulling her to the couch. "Which movie?"

"Wait for me!" Castle called as he hurriedly wheeled himself into the next room.

After picking the movie (a chick-flick, much to Rick's dismay), collecting as many blankets and pillows as they could find, and inserting the disc, it was time for ice cream. Alexis retrieved the various ice cream flavors from the freezer, while Kate collected the bowls, and Rick was able to reach the whipped cream in the fridge.

"Now Kate," Alexis said as she scooped generous amounts of ice cream into the bowls. "This is a Castle family tradition, and since you're the guest we will let you do the honors." Kate looked at Alexis confused. "Open that cupboard." Alexis pointed to one of the highest doors in the kitchen. Kate hesitantly made her way to the door Alexis was pointing at. Even with her height, Kate had to tip-toe to reach it. When she finally opened it, an array of junk-food sat before her. Everything from gummy bears, to M&M's, from Reese's bits to multicolored sprinkles.

"Wow," Kate gasped.

"I know right!" Castle said gleefully. "We've been doing this since Alexis was old enough to appreciate Monster Ice Cream Sundaes. We have everything. Whatever topping your heart desires. I personally prefer everything but that's just me."

"I like everything chocolate," Alexis added smiling. Kate grabbed a few bags from the shelf and laid them across the counter. Rick and Alexis immediately grabbed their favorite bag off candy and skillfully added it to their mountain of ice cream. Kate just watched trying to make up her mind. Finally she reached from the gummy bears and threw a few in with her ice cream. Next she reached for the M&M's and added a spoonful. She grabbed another bag of candy but before she put it on her ice cream, glanced up. Rick and Alexis were looking at her with giant smiles.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm just glad you eat sugar. I've known girls who don't even go for real ice cream, let alone toppings. All this sugar free, fat free crap. We are just appreciating your appreciation for quality ice cream," Rick said happily. Kate laughed. Really laughed, throwing her head back, and letting her shoulders relax. Her hazel eyes shone brightly and her smile reached both ears. Kate didn't even think it was all that funny; she just wanted a reason to laugh. Rick watched, awestruck at her beauty while Alexis joined in with Kate's laughter.

"Well, thanks Castle." The trio finished off their concoctions with whipped cream and cherries. Alexis managed a perfect spiral of whipped goodness and was able to center the cherry exactly. Kate's was more like a blob on top of her desert, with her cherry just thrown on. Castle…Castle's whipped cream was haphazardly done and plenty. He put multiple cherries on top of the pile of whipped cream.

"Ready?" Kate asked the father and daughter, her ice cream bowl in hand, wanting to start the movie.

"Yeah," Alexis responded.

"Castle?" Kate asked. He turned to look at her, whipped cream canister in hand and a wicked gleam in his eye. Kate knew where he was going. "Ca-Castle. Don't!" But she was too late. He aimed and fired. White sprayed out of the container and onto Kate. It covered her face and shirt. She yelped as Castle laughed and turned to his daughter. Alexis was quicker than her father. She managed to duck, but the whipped cream still caught her hair. Kate snatched the canister from Rick and glared. He just smirked. Kate turned around to wink at Alexis, who was still behind the counter, but Rick didn't catch the gesture.

"Ya know, Castle. It's obvious you don't remember how much I like to get even," she said in a sultry tone, stepping incredibly close to him. She watched his adam's apple as he swallow hard. Rick looked at her wide eyed. Only for a moment, Kate thought about ditching the revenge idea and just trailing her lips up and down his neck. She quickly pushed that thought aside and instead brought a finger trailing up his chest. She watched as his eyes darkened. Her index finger reached the collar of his shirt and began pulling it forward. Unintentionally, Rick felt himself leaning in along with his shirt but the lust immediately cleared when he felt whipped cream trailing down his chest. Kate stopped spraying, let go of his collar and double patted his chest (ignoring how firm it was underneath her fingers), insuring the whipped cream ended up all over him. "Now you know," she said cheerfully, turning around and high fiving Alexis. They laughed at Rick's lost expression.

"You're cruel," he said. Kate continued to laugh.

"You started it and now we have to change."

"Thanks, Dad," Alexis said, taking her and Kate's bowls and putting them in the freezer. She grabbed her father's, putting it with her own and when he went to protest narrowed her eyes. He quickly shut up and began wheeling himself to his room. "Be right back," Alexis said to Kate as she ran upstairs.

Kate grabbed her bag from behind the couch and pulled out a clean shirt. She went to the hallway bathroom and began unbuttoning her blouse. Kate shrugged it off grabbed a towel, wetted it and began getting the sticky feeling off her skin.

Rick was quick in the bathroom. He threw off her shirt and wiped of the remnants of whipped cream. When he was clean, he grabbed a clean tee shirt and went to the living room.

Alexis was sitting on the couch as he rolled in. She'd only had to get whipped cream out of her hair and had gotten it out quickly.

"Where's Kate?" Rick asked.

"Hallway bathroom. You gonna go get her?"

"Yeah," Rick responded, rolling himself in that direction.

When he reached the bathroom door he knocked gently and pushed it open. "Hey Ka…" He stopped mid-sentence. Katharine Beckett currently stood in front of him, wearing a lacey black bra. Rick's eyes widened as his mouth went dry. Images flooded his mind. Images of her silky white skin wrapped up in his satin sheets. Images of those incredibly long legs wrapped around his torso. All that skin begged the question if it was as smooth as it looked. Rick pictured his fingers pressing into her toned stomach, her lips trailing over his neck. He let out a gasp.

Kate flew around and was met with a shocked but half smiling Castle. Her face immediately turned bright red. She dropped the shirt she was trying to get whipped cream out of but quickly bent down again to attempt to cover herself with it.

"Castle!" she yelled. Rick flashed back to reality. "Don't you knock? Get out!"

"Actually I did knock," Rick said as he attempted to roll himself out of the bathroom as fast as he could. Instead he ran into the door frame.

"Geez."

"Castle!"

"I'm going! I just...can't turn the wheel," he said fumbling with the wheelchair. Kate groaned and held the blouse in front of her chest.

"If you turn around I will..." she stopped herself before she said "shoot you".

"I won't look," he said, frustrated with the wheels.

Clutching the shirt she quickly made her way behind the wheelchair and pulled him away from the door and pushed him through the door frame. Castle was able to catch a quick glance of Kate right as the door closed.

Kate quickly shut the door behind him. She pressed her forehead against the wood, trying to ignore the butterflies currently pounding in her stomach. It was the way he was looking at her. Something about the pure desire made her weak in the knees. She tried to calm her racing heart and quickly threw on the clean shirt.

Rick, on the other side of the bathroom door, stayed still for a few moments, slack jawed. He couldn't get her image out of his head. His blood was boiling with desire and that feeling pressed the pit of his stomach. When Rick had calmed himself down, he went into the living room to join his daughter. She jumped on him the minute he appeared.

"Dad, what happened? I thought I heard Kate yell!" Alexis asked worriedly.

"Yeah, she didn't hear me knock…"

"Oh…Oh! Geez Dad! Have Gram and I taught you nothing. When she gets back, make sure you apologize." Alexis said sternly.

"Course." Rick said right as a red faced Kate entered the living room. "Kate, look, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine Castle. Just don't mention it again…ever. Got it?"

"Got it." Alexis helped Rick out of his wheelchair and sat him on the couch. Kate moved to the other side of Alexis, specifically so she didn't have to sit by Rick.

"Ready?" Alexis asked as she settled between the two adults.

"Yup."

"Yeah." And the movie started.