A/N: Okay, school is almost over so I will be updating this more regularly over the summer. I am so sorry for how long I made you all wait. But I do want to say that I am not done with this story yet at all. I still don't know how this whole thing is going to turn out so I'm in for the ride as well. Again, really sorry about the wait.

Another thing: I am pretty sure the season finale broke me. Honestly, I have been ripped to shreds. First Rumbelle happened, then Captain Swan happened, then Outlaw Queen broke me (yes I've started watching OUAT and you can expect a fic for that this summer as well) and then Castle and Beckett. This chapter is on the fluffier side because I can't deal with all this angst.

Okay, I'm finally done. Happy Reading!

Disclaimer: These characters are not mine.

(Read in Stana Katic's voice) Previously on Turning Tables:

Rick tore his lips from Kate's and clutched her hip with one hand and the countertop with the other. He was hunched over breathing heavily. The tingle of the kiss on his lips now became a sudden pain at his realization.

"Oh my—Rick. Rick. What's wrong?" She asked worriedly.

"We've kissed before. We were in an alley and it was dark and it felt really good but then you pulled away to roundhouse kick this guy in the head and the kick was awesome but the kiss was so much better and it made me not want to think about kissing anyone but you and every time I looked at you afterwards I could remember the feeling of you pressed against me and I didn't mind. When did that happen?"

"You…you remembered. You remembered!" She pulled him by his t-shirt and kissed him quickly and soundly on the mouth, forgetting how much Rick remembering messed with her plan.

"Kate. When did it happen?"

"We were trying to get to Ryan and Esposito…They'd been kidnapped by Hal Lockwood. He killed the investigator on my mom's case…." Castle noticed the pain in her eyes when she said 'my mom's case'. There was a slight pause. "You were with me and I said I was opened to dumb ideas and you had one, Castle."

"But we never went further than that?"

"No, we didn't. And we can't now either." Kate lowered her voice to a whisper. "No matter how badly I want to."

"One for the road?" She smiled and kissed him again. It was a sensation neither would ever get tired of. All too soon, she was pulling away and leaving him alone in the bathroom.

"Til tomorrow, Castle." She winked as she closed the door. He sighed as she walked away, the feeling of her mouth still on his. And he couldn't get the distinct smell of cherries and the taste of coffee out of his mind.

Kate reentered the living room and fell onto the couch. She pulled up the blanket but knew she wasn't going to get any sleep. The feeling of his lips was still clear in her mind and she couldn't help but smile at the memory. She wanted him. She wanted him so bad it hurt. And she finally got him…almost.

Castle lifted his head from his pillow as the aroma of coffee reached his nose. His body rolled out of bed while his mind was still curled up in satin sheets, half asleep. Castle strode into the living room in his pajama pants and a well fitted black tee-shirt. The couch was free of any inhabitants so Castle followed the smell of coffee into the kitchen. A plate filled with bacon drew Castle's eye fist. Next to it was a stack of pancakes and a steaming cup of coffee. Behind the counter, with her back to him, Kate was in athletic shorts and a loose-fitting tee-shirt, washing dishes. At the sight of her, Castle's face broke into a small smile at the memory of the previous night. That smile grew when he saw her bobbing her head and swaying to inaudible music. She turned slightly so he could see her profile and the cords hanging from her ears. Kate was listening to music, and dancing in his kitchen, and Castle had never wanted to dance with someone more in his entire life.

Then he heard her humming.

It was soft and deep and although Castle couldn't make out what song it was he suddenly felt the urge to sing along. She continued to sway. There was morning sunlight streaming through the windows of the loft catching her hair at just the right angles, illuminating the hints of red that hid within the layers of dark brown. Suddenly, the image of Kate rocking a baby girl in her arms, humming a lullaby flashed through Rick's mind. She stood in a nursery that looked remarkably like his guest bedroom, the light playing across her features as it was just then. The baby caught sight of Rick and smiled. He noticed her eyes were so blue but she had Kate's face. And although he had no idea where the image came from it didn't bother him.

Rick watched Kate for a little while before deciding to make his presence known. A sly smile spread across his lips when he realized exactly how he should.

He moved around the island, encircled his arms around her waist, and whispered "morning" against her neck. Kate yelped, jumped out his arms and whirled around. Her headphones had fallen out of her ears. She looked at Rick, her eyes wide and filled with bewilderment. Castle took a step back, his hands up defensively. When Kate realized who it was, she couldn't help but smile.

"God Castle, you scared me!" she breathed, punching him lightly in the shoulder.

"Sorry, I just…thought it would be a good way to greet you. I didn't think…It didn't occur to me that you would…freak out."

"Its fine Castle," she laughed. "Geez put your arms down." She took a step towards him and grabbed his wrists, moving them so they were around her waist. "Good morning."

Rick smiled, really smiled. And Kate, even though every fiber of her being told her that the position she was in (Rick's arms around her waist, his blue eyes looking right into hers, both pairs of eyes shining with hope) was wrong, smiled back.

"Good morning to you too," he muttered, his voice low and breathy. Rick moved his forehead to rest against Kate's, bumping her nose with his. He started to move his lips closer but before he could…

"Dad!" Alexis called as she descended the stairs.

Kate jumped out of Rick's arms for the second time that morning. He really wished she'd stop doing that.

She leaned against the seat, trying to look nonchalant, while Rick stood in the center of the kitchen still trying to process what happened. Alexis finally reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around confused.

"Sorry, was I interrupting something? I heard Dad's voice from upstairs. I didn't think he'd be up yet."

"No Alexis. You weren't interrupting anything. We were just talking," Kate said, truthfully. Although, Castle was looking at her like he wanted to do more than just talking.

"You ready for the first day of school pumpkin?" Rick asked.

"Yeah. As ready as I can be I guess," Alexis replied. She settled into a bar stool and piled pancakes and bacon on her plate. Rick finally got around to moving and poured her a glass of orange juice before filling his own plate with pancakes.

"Are you looking forward to any classes this year?" Kate wondered.

"I am actually. Dad talked me into a creative writing class and I have it with a group of my friends. And Ashley and I have a couple classes together."

"Oh that's always fun," Kate laughed, winking. Alexis chuckled. Rick shook his head discretely.

"I smell pancakes," Martha proclaimed as she entered the kitchen.

"Kate made breakfast," Rick said.

"How lovely. Thank you, darling." Martha walked around giving kisses to her family and giving Kate a quick hug. She settled on the bar stool next to Alexis.

Rick got up and walked to the fridge, getting out the whipped cream.

"Really Castle? More sugar?"

"Yeah Dad, I'm surprised you aren't in a sugar coma from all the ice cream you had last night."

"Really, Richard, it's not good for you."

"Okay, I can barely take one woman criticizing me. Now I have three of you doing it? Kate you're a bad influence. They never did this with Gina."

"That's because Gina did it to make you what she wanted you to be. Kate does it just to tease you. It's mostly out of love," Alexis informed. Kate tried to keep her eyes from going wide the second Alexis said the word "love". Rick turned around to look at her. Kate smiled and gave a small, nonchalant shrug.

"Mostly." Rick laughed but maintained eye contact with Kate. They stared at each other, each trying to read the other's expression. Martha and Alexis shared a knowing look before Alexis exclaimed.

"Dad! You're walking. Oh my gosh! I hadn't paid any attention to it, it seemed so normal. That's really great."

"Thanks pumpkin. It feels much better than being in that wheelchair."

"Oh my, look at time," Martha announced.

"Oh," Alexis voiced. "I gotta go or I'm gonna be late." She jumped up from the table, and grabbed her backpack. Alexis said goodbye to her father, grandmother, and Kate.

Once Alexis exited the loft Martha soon made her departure.

"We only have four rehearsals left until opening night. Every one counts. I expect to see you both there Friday night."

"Do I have to?" Rick joked. Kate chuckled and nudged him.

"Of course Martha, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Thank you dear. I'll see you both later."

Martha gave one last wave before exiting the loft, leaving Kate and Rick alone. Kate moved from behind the counter to seat herself next to Rick. She grabbed a plate and put butter and syrup on her pancakes before reaching over Rick and grabbing the whipped cream. Her arm brushed against his. Kate gave him a wink before adding a dollop of cream to her stack. Rick merely shook his head and smiled.

"So I take it you don't like Ashley?"

"Where did that come from?"

"I saw the look you gave when Alexis brought him up. It's been bugging me for the past fifteen minutes. So, enlighten me. What's up?"

"You really are a great detective." Kate felt herself blush. "It's just…I haven't met him yet and right now, in my head, Alexis is still a little girl. I still feel like she's twelve. For her, boys should still have cooties. Then one day, I wake up and she has a serious boyfriend. A boyfriend I cannot remember meeting, even though she says I have and that I really liked him. But, I just feel terrible because…well look at her now. She's practically a woman and I can't remember this HUGE chunk of my daughter's life. What kind of a father does that make me?" By the end of his speech Rick had gotten quieter and the question came out almost like a whisper. Kate set her fork down and finished chewing before pushing her plate away and resting her elbows on the table.

"Rick, look at me." He turned his head so his eyes met hers. "I want you to know that I have never seen a father who loves his daughter more than you love Alexis. I have never seen a better father-daughter relationship than the relationship you two have. Right now, yes, things are tough but they could be so, so much worse. Even though you can't remember it now, you were always there for Alexis. You still are and always will be there when she needs it. You are right, she is a woman now and she will need you less but that doesn't mean she will love you any less. She still looks at you like you are the greatest person in the world. I don't think that will ever change, Castle." Rick let out a long sigh and glanced down at his forearm. Somewhere during her speech, Kate and placed her hands on Rick's arm.

"I've been thinking she kind of looks at you that way, like you're the greatest person in the world."

"Oh no. The way she looks at me is nothing compared to the way she looks at you. Trust me." Kate smiled.

"Still, Alexis really enjoys having you in her life. You're a good influence on her, on the both of us." Kate smiled.

Rick was looking at her. Really looking at her. He was memorizing her face. All of the peaks and valleys. Every color in her eyes. Her smile. Kate felt herself unconsciously lean forwards. His face was a few inches from hers. If he just angled his mouth down a little she could…

"You smell like cherries," he breathed.

Then, Kate did what she'd wanted to do the very first time he'd said that. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled his mouth to hers.

Rick didn't hesitate. He responded to the kiss immediately, opening his mouth for her. When she pulled back for air, Rick trailed kisses across her jaw and down her neck.

"Castle," she breathed when he found her pulse point. Kate found herself clutching the fabric of his tee-shirt.

Soon, his mouth found hers again.

It was in that moment Kate didn't care about snipers. She didn't care about whoever was trying to kill her. In that moment all she cared about was Castle and his family and Kate realized that keeping the truth from him was hurting more than helping. She just didn't know how to tell him because she had to tell him.

In time she told herself. But right then, she let herself be kissed.