A/N: thank you to those who have given feedback so far; it's very much appreciated! here is a short filler before the real fun begins...

Late October, Castle's loft

It felt early. He didn't know how early, but he's figured it couldn't be that early since the sun was peaking through the blinds and shining across his office and into his bedroom. Still, it felt early. He turned over on his side and tried to catch a few more precious Zs. However, a few minutes later he hears the front door open and shut, prompting him to shoot up from his bed. No one was supposed to be here, at least not until later in the day. Rick sighed and groggily went to investigate. As he stepped from his bedroom he was met with a different head of red hair than he expected.

"Mother? To what do I owe the pleasure at..." he looked down at his watch, "7:18AM on a Sunday?"

"Oh, Richard, I didn't want to wake you," Martha huffed as she prepared a pot of coffee in the kitchen. "I just wanted to see my son and gra–"

"It's fine," Rick sighs. "I'm just glad you're not a robber here to rob—well, I'm glad you're not a stranger."

"Oh, you always have a quick comment, don't you?" Martha rolls her eyes. "Is it so wrong for me to want to see my family?"

"No, no, it's just, it's early," Rick yawns.

"That's why I didn't want to wake you," Martha says. "You can certainly go back to sleep. I don't need to be entertained."

"I know," Rick shrugs. "But it's okay. I'll take a cup of coffee when it's ready." He walks to the kitchen and sits on one of the stools, resting both elbows on the marble island.

"Really, dear, you look absolutely dead on your feet," Martha looks at him with concern. "Still having a hard time adjusting?"

"Yeah, it's been weird," Rick admits. "But I'm really okay. How are you?"

"Well, you know the theater," Martha sighs. "Always busy."

"Right," Rick yawns. "Well...good to see you."

"I appreciate that, darling. Everything going okay with your classes?" Martha asks. The coffee has just finished brewing, so she grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and creamer from the fridge. She pours the steaming liquid into each cup and passes one along to her son.

Rick breathes in the calming aroma of the cup before he answers. "The English courses are quite dry, sadly. But I do really enjoy the Legal Studies course. People call that class Crime 101, actually."

"Crime 101, how, nice?" Martha laughs. "You would enjoy a peculiar course like that one. Has it helped with your writing?"

Writing was a sore subject between Castle and his mother recently. She was always asking, he was always asking her not to ask.

"Actually, it has," Rick smiles. "I wouldn't say I've broken out of this funk, but there's this girl–"

"A girl!?" Martha interrupts. "Oh, no, Richard."

"What?" He sips on his coffee, a bit taken aback by his mother's reaction.

"It's just, there always seems to be a girl. No You fall hard, it lasts a few weeks. You both have a bit of fun and then it's over," Martha says. "Not that there's anything wrong with a bit of fun. You and I both know I've had my fair share of f–"

"Mother..." Rick cuts in, urging his mom to skip to the point. "All I'm saying is, you've been distracted, in more ways than one, for the better part of a year now," Martha stated bluntly. "At some point you need to just face reality rather than burying yourself in another nowhere relationship."

She was harsh but fair. Rick had fallen into a pattern recently, so he didn't necessarily blame his mother for her weariness.

"I know where you're coming from. I know it's out of love," Rick acknowledges. "But I mean this in the least cliché way possible when I say Kate is different."

"Well, then tell me about this Kate, darling," Martha smiles.

"Just that she's been helping with my writing," Rick shrugs. "A muse of sorts."

"Uh huh, and does Kate know that she's a muse of sorts?" Martha asks with skepticism.

"Well, no...She does know I'm a writer though. She and her mom like my books, even. We're partners for our semester project in Crime 101."

"Partners? For class? And that's all?" Martha's eyebrow flies to her hairline.

"Yes..?"

"Is that a question or an answer?"

"I mean, we're friends, maybe? Or friendly, at least. Which is a huge improvement from a month ago when she hated my guts," Rick says.

"Okay, so what drew you to her then since she clearly had no interest in you?"

"Well, that in and of itself is a bit of unfamiliar territory for me," Rick laughs. "But I just knew when I first saw her, I mean, she's absolutely gorgeous, she's extremely intelligent, has a quick wit, but something about her feels so mysterious. She's just really extraordinary, no other word for it."

"Have you told her any of this?"

"No, but it's also not about...that. It's just...I just...enjoy being around her. And she agreed to come to the Halloween party so I think she's warming up to me too."

Same day, Kate's apartment

"Morning, Lanie," Kate says as her friend finally joins her in the kitchen. She had been up for over and hour, sipping on coffee and doing the Sunday crossword just as she did every week. Even after a late night out drinking, Kate was a naturally early riser. It became tradition for her to occupy herself with the puzzle from the paper while she waited for Lanie to join her for breakfast.

"Don't" Lanie responds, her eyelids still heavy and sensitive to the light shining in from the row of windows above the sink. "I don't know how you always manage to drink so much more than me and never end up with the hangover I do." The young woman plops down into a seat at the kitchen table and buries her head in her hands.

Kate chuckles, "It's just my genes, I suppose." Lanie had no idea just how true that statement really was.

"Yeah, well, curse your Irish ancestors, I suppose," Lanie groans. Kate silently passes her friend some ibuprofen and a bottle of pedialyte and Lanie graciously accepts. "Uh, bless you."

"You're welcome," Kate says. She then walks over to the fridge and grabs out a few items. "Now, how does some eggs and bacon sound?"

After breakfast, Lanie was feeling much better and had returned to her usual chatty mood. As Kate finishes the last few hints of the crossword, she peaks around the newspaper and stares at her with knowing eyes.

"So..." Lanie says.

"So, what?" Kate responds.

"Rick's Halloween party," she states.

"What about it?"

"Girl, I'm gonna smack you!"

"Glad you're feeling better," Kate laughs.

"Seriously, Kate? How did he go from "annoying guy" to you accepting his party invitation?" Lanie asks with eyebrows raised.

"Believe me, he's still very much annoying guy," Kate laughs. "But given his reputation I figured he and his friends throw a great party."

"Okay, well, that's a lie if I ever heard one," Lanie replies.

"I don't know what you mean," Kate says.

"Kate."

"Lanie."

"Fine," Lanie sighs. "You just seem happier. Maybe the happiest you've been since I've known you."

"Well, I do find him intriguing," Kate admits.

Lanie shoots her a look that tells her she's still not satisfied.

"What? He's weird and funny and thoughtful. I am secure enough to admit that I may have misjudged him a little."

"Okay, and what are you going to do about that?" Lanie asks.

"Do about that?"

"Kate, he obviously likes you," Lanie explains.

"Likes me?" Kate repeats. "I mean we're...friends, sort of. He's just being friendly."

"Sure, girl, keep telling yourself that," Lanie laughs. "But I see what's really going on here."

"There's nothing going on," Kate assures her.

"Do you want there to be?" Lanie asks.

"...No?"

"Was that an answer or a question?"

"No, I mean, a guy like him? He dates supermodels and actresses, so someone ordinary like me? He'd never," Kate sighs.

"So, you do want there to be something between you and Rick?"

"We already have something," Kate says. "We're partners. For class. After this semester, I'll never see him again and you and I will have amazing memories from this Halloween party we're going to on Friday."