Chapter 15

Within a few days, an arrest had been made relating to Beckett's shooting. The man who had originally confessed to the attempted murder prior to the shooting, Darren Whitfield, explained the whole situation to Ryan and Esposito after they threatened to lock him up for 25 years without parole. After hours of negotiation, Whitfield agreed to give them the names of those involved, including the name of the shooter, in exchange for a reduced sentence.

Numerous man hours resulted in the NYPD finding the site where the shooter fired from. CSU found a shell casing the shooter had missed with a viable fingerprint on it that matched the name Whitfield had given, Marcus Grimes. The case was wrapped up nicely with a bow, meaning Kate was a free woman once again.

There was no reason for Castle to stay by Kate's side 24/7 anymore, which was a relief to both. They knew it was going to be a strange feeling being separated considering in all the time they have known each other they have lived together. It was like a relationship working backwards. But it meant that they finally had the chance to start over and try date like a normal couple.

"How does it feel to be back?" Esposito asked as he walked by Kate's side to her apartment.

"Weird," she admitted. "But I'll be glad things are back to normality."

"You say that but who's going to cook and clean for you?" Castle said poking fun at her.

Kate elbowed him lightly in the ribs, a slight chuckle escaping her lips as she unlocked the door to the apartment. Esposito smiled to himself knowingly as he watched they way they interacted closely. He couldn't help but feel happy for his partner. In all his years knowing her she had always been private when it came to relationships, but this seemed different. She seemed genuinely happy for the first time.

"Oh, I forgot to talk to the doorman," Kate realised after going inside. "Javi, could you go down to the lobby and let him know that there's no need to be on high alert anymore?"

"Sure thing." Espo knew she just wanted to be alone with Castle for a moment before he left, so he made himself scarce and headed back to the lobby.

"So, I guess this is it," Castle said smiling.

"Yeah," Kate sighed happily. "From a client to a professional, thank you." She held out her hand for him to shake which he just stared at surprisingly.

"From a professional to the most stubborn woman I have ever protected, thank you for making me go not entirely insane." He clasped her hand in his and shook firmly, looking at her amorously the whole time. "It was a pleasure, detective."

She felt her face go red as blood rushed to her cheeks. Chewing on the inside of her lip, she squeezed his hand and pulled him closer to her. Then whispering into his ear she said, "It was very pleasurable."

Castle closed his eyes and smiled in silence, absorbing everything that was happening in that moment. Her breath against his ear was enough to drive him insane, so he hesitantly pulled back before risking something that would get them in a lot of trouble. Releasing her hand was difficult for him, the last thing he wanted to do right now was walk away from her. But he knew he had to before someone saw them.

"Doorman is all caught up," Esposito said appearing once again, this time with his partner Kevin Ryan.

"Then my job here is done," Castle said clapping his hands together. "Detectives," he acknowledged the two men before leaving the apartment, closing the door behind him.

Kate watched as he left restraining a grin that she did not want the boys to see. She herself was also trying not to smile in any way that would heighten their suspicion. Ryan and Esposito waited for the door to close before turning their heads back facing her.

"Spill," Esposito blurted.

"What happened between you two?" Ryan asked.

"What are you two talking about?" Kate scoffed in amusement.

"I'm talking about how your bodyguard there did a little more with your body than just guarding." Esposito raised an eyebrow.

Ryan nodded in agreement with his other half. "Don't bother denying it. We're detectives," he added folding his arms.

"Okay," Kate sighed. "Javi, I know you're going through a dry patch right now so I understand why you're seeing things that aren't there. But Kevin, you're in a relationship so what's your excuse?"

Both men stood still in disbelief, neither of them having a response to what their partner had just said.

Later that evening, for the first time in over two months Kate was sat alone in her apartment. The eery silence was enough to start to freak her out. She knew the case was over, there was no longer a threat to her life yet for some reason she felt unsafe alone. It didn't take her long to realise that the reason she felt this way was because the one thing that made her feel safe and sound, the one person who could talk her down and relax her, was gone.

Castle.

After only two months of knowing this man he had wriggled his way into not only her personal life and bedsheets, but also into her subconscious. Her first time alone without him since they met and she can't seem to take her mind off him. In this moment she was extremely grateful that they had made plans to go out tonight.

"Hey," Kate said when Castle picked up on the other end of the line. "I was just calling to see if we're still on for dinner and drinks tonight."

"I was just about to call you!" he exclaimed, followed by a sigh. "Would you mind if we postponed? Mother had an emergency at her acting studio so she couldn't take Alexis tonight. I'm sorry."

Disappointment washed over Kate, but she knew he had a valid reason. "I guess we've waited this long, what's another few days," she chuckled. "That's okay."

"It's a shame. I really wanted to see that adorable little smile of yours tonight."

"Castle…." Kate was thankful Castle couldn't see her blushing over the phone.

"I promised Alexis I would make her some mac n cheese and watch Frozen for the thousandth time." Castle paused, and Kate could sense hesitation in his voice. "If you wanted to you could come over and join us…."

Kate was caught off guard by his offer. A night in his home with his daughter was not exactly how she envisioned their first real date. At a loss for words, Kate struggled to find an appropriate response.

"Oh! Umm… wow. That's…-."

"There's no pressure!" Castle said quickly trying to reassure her. "If you think it's too much, I completely understand."

"No, no!" she insisted. "I'm fine, really. I'll be there."

There were butterflies in her stomach on the drive over to Castle's place. It was a combination of nerves and excitement muddled into one. Kate was so distracted at the thought of meeting his daughter that she hadn't realised her GPS had brought her to the more expensive part of town. She turned the corner and saw that her destination was on her left. It wasn't until she got out of her car that she realised how nice the building was.

Kate was greeted by a polite doorman who directed her to Castle's apartment. As she rode the elevator up to the fourth floor she found herself obsessing with her image in the mirror. Ruffling her hair and tugging at her blouse, she was fixated on looking presentable for both Castle and his daughter.

The elevator doors opened revealing a long corridor with ambient lighting. Kate made her way to the front door of the apartment, took a deep breath, and knocked. The door was opened by Castle a few seconds later, a little redhead girl standing behind his legs.

"Hey," Castle welcomed, his face instantly lighting up. "Come in."

"Hey!" Kate stepped into the apartment, her focus instantly directed at how much larger it was on the inside. This was not what she had been expecting.

"Let me take your jacket," he offered. He was followed by a waddling Alexis as he hung it in the closet. She had a protective boot on her foot from where she broke her foot a few weeks prior. Placing a hand on the little girl's back he said, "Alexis, say hello to my friend Kate."

"Hi," she mumbled shyly.

Kate knelt down to be at the same eye level as Alexis. "I hear you're a big fan of Frozen." A shy smile appeared on her face. "I love that movie. But do you know what I love more? Mac n cheese!"

"Me too," the girl giggled. She took Kate's hand and pulled her further into the apartment. "Come see my princess dollhouse!"

Castle laughed to himself as his daughter swept Kate away from him. The two were sat cross legged in the living room while he prepared their dinner. He watched as Alexis introduced Kate to every single one of her dolls and explained their relationships. It was refreshing to see Alexis bonding with another woman.

Meredith had gone back to LA a week ago meaning it would be another long length of time before Alexis saw her again. He had rarely dated much since Meredith, but when he did it was never serious enough for him to introduce them to his daughter. Seeing Kate interacting with her and how comfortable Alexis was around her was a sight he never wanted to forget.

After thirty minutes Kate appeared by his side in the kitchen. "I feel like I haven't spoken to you at all since I got here."

"It's okay, you were practically kidnapped," he chuckled. "Speaking of, how's it going?"

"I'm never really around kids all that much, so I'm not really sure what to talk to her about," Kate admitted self-deprecatingly. "I'm no good at this."

Castle could see just how much this meant to her. It was obvious that she wanted this to work out as much as he did. "Are you kidding? You've already won her over and you've been here less than an hour." He put the cheese grater down and turned to face her. "Look, I know this is a lot for a 'first date', but it's not our first date. We'll have a second first date. Just think of tonight as a casual night in with a potential lover's kid." He wriggled his eyebrows.

"That is exactly what tonight is," she laughed.

"Oh, right! Well, the point is there is no pressure on you whatsoever. If you think this is too much you can leave."

She wrapped her arms around his waist smiling affectionately up at him. "I'm okay," she assured. "But let's just keep everything casual for a while, okay?"

"Roger that," he said picking up a spatula and saluting with it.

"Now I have to go. I believe I have my coronation to attend to!"

The commotion of things being moved on the kitchen island caught their attention and they turned to see Alexis had climbed onto it. Holding a crown she scooted towards them.

"Alexis, be careful!" Castle warned reaching out to grab her. "Look at what happened the last time you did something like this." He lifted her into his arms and pointed at the protective boot.

"I need to be tall to put the crown on Kate's head," Alexis giggled.

"Next time, just ask me to lift you." Castle lifted her out to Kate so she could place the crown on her head.

"How do I look?" Kate asked modelling the crown, spinning for dramatic effect. Castle whispered something to Alexis and the two of them shared a chuckle. "What? Is it that bad?"

"Daddy said you're one of the prettiest princesses he's ever seen," Alexis explained.

"You weren't supposed to tell her," Castle said tickling his daughter. "That was our little secret!"

Kate watched in awe at the father and daughter playing before her. It was nice for her to experience Castle as a father and not a bodyguard for a change. They were two very different people and she couldn't help but find herself falling more for him.

After dinner Alexis offered to give Kate a full princess makeover. She was covered head to toe in glitter, feathers, and plastic jewellery. Once her transformation was complete, the three of them settled down on the couch to watch Frozen. But as expected, Alexis fell asleep halfway through the movie. Once Castle had her tucked into bed, he reappeared beside her on the couch.

"You've got a great kid, Rick," Kate said.

"Don't I know it!"

"Well, I've got work in the morning so I better head home. Get some rest." Kate sat up and began removing all the accessories from her fingers and hair. "First day back and all that. But thanks for tonight."

"Anytime," Castle said with a smile. As she began to walk away, he shouted, "Wait, you can't go!"

She turned to see he had caught up to her at the door. She watched as he took a step closer, his eyes fixated on her. He reached his hand up to her face, which then into the dark locks of her hair. Her eyes closed as she smiled to herself. Then she felt his hand suddenly distant. When she opened her eyes she saw him holding a fluffy hair clip.

"Now you're free to go," he chuckled before placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Goodnight, Castle."

"Goodnight, Kate."