the night we met
When they first started dating, Kate and Rick decided that January 9th should no longer be a day of dread, but rather, one of happy remembrance. That sentiment quickly evolved into a yearly standing date night.
The first year, they went bowling and then got burgers and shakes at Remy's. The next year, it was a movie marathon and Thai takeout. Year three was extra special because Kate got PTO at the start of the year that allowed them to go on their island getaway honeymoon. Rick surprised her with a helicopter ride up to the volcano and a torch lit dinner prepared by a private chef. The next year brought them back down to earth as they were still navigating their secret reunion while Kate worked the LokSat case. She worked hard to make it up to Castle by granting his longtime wish of seeing her on figure skates. That meant that this January 9th was the fifth year of their little tradition. To commemorate, they decided on a romantic dinner at Q3 and a nightcap with a glass of whiskey that Rick had been saving for nearly a decade. That was the plan anyway.
"You're not making our dinner reservation, are you?" Rick asks when he answers his wife's phone call.
"You know, I was actually so close to getting home early today, believe it or not," Kate sighs.
"But then you didn't," Rick says.
"Then I didn't," Kate confirms.
"Should I see if Maddie can move the reservation for us?" Rick asks.
"Yeah, that would be amazing if she could. I'm really sorry, babe. I know how much you were looking forward to the world's best pumpkin gnocchi."
"Bah, it's only the best in the city," Rick chuckles. "I'll be alright. Not your fault there's a mass murderer on the loose."
"Just one murder," Kate says. "But that's not exactly why I got held up."
"No? Now, I'm confused, 'cause I thought being Captain meant you didn't have to miss important dinners unless there's a mass murderer on the loose."
"Yeah, usually," Kate sighs. "But, uh, this was a...special circumstance. Um, Rick, there's someone I want you to meet. Could you come to the precinct?"
"The precinct? Kate, what's going on?"
"Just...come, please?"
"Of course," Rick says. "I'll be there in 20."
Rick wasn't sure what, or rather whom, to expect when Kate said she wanted him to meet someone, but a twelve-year-old girl certainly hadn't crossed his mind.
"She's the daughter of our victim," Kate explained. "Her name is Ruby and she's just about the coolest kid I've ever met."
"Hmm, thought you weren't really a kid person," Rick jokes. "So not sure what the standard is here."
"Baby person, Castle, I wasn't a baby person," Kate corrects. "She's practically a teenager."
"Oh, no, Kate, she's 12," Rick reminds her. "Which means she's actually a tween-ager, and, trust me, that's much, much worse."
"Hah, as if twelve-year-old Alexis wasn't more mature than you," Kate jokes. "I just want you to talk to her with me."
"Okay, but why?"
"I'll tell you after you meet her. Just, do this with me?"
"Yeah, of course, it'll be just like old times," Rick smiles. "Except she's not a suspect and we're not interrogating her...unless?"
"No."
Kate gave Rick a quick background on the case to appease his curiosities, which left him a bit disappointed. It seems pretty obvious that Ruby's dad was murdered in a tragic-but-random mugging outside of his work. Ruby was waiting for him to pick her up from school, but when Kate and a social worker arrived instead, the girl knew right away that something horrible had happened to her father.
"What about her mom?" Rick asks. "Where's she?"
"She passed away when Ruby was 8," Kate sighs. "She doesn't have any other family in the city, or even any at all, that we know of."
"Rough," Rick sighs. "I understand why you couldn't make dinner now."
"Trust me," Kate says. "I wouldn't have missed it for pretty much anything else."
They share a somber smile before heading over to the break room where Ruby was sitting with a cup hot chocolate and a social worker who looked to be in her 50s or 60s.
"Ruby, this is my friend Rick. Is it okay if we hang out with you for a bit?" Kate asks after lightly knocking on the door.
"You're not another social worker, are you?" asks Ruby. She looks over at the social worker with a slight grin of embarrassment and tries to lessen the impact with a "no offense".
The social worker was unbothered and shrugs. "I've got a few calls I need to make, so I can step out while you talk. Is that okay, Ruby?"
"That's fine," the girl says. Rick can tell already that he's probably going to echo Kate's sentiment about this kid.
"I'm not a social worker," Rick says as he approaches the girl. "I'm a writer, actually."
"What do you write? I like to write, too. And read," Ruby smiles. Rick and Kate smile too. They both grab chairs and move them so they are sitting across from Ruby who is sitting crisscross applesauce on the couch.
"I write mystery novels, adult novels, so you probably haven't heard of them. What do you like to read?"
"I really like mysteries. I read like all of the Nancy Drew books over the summer a few years ago. I read all kinds of stuff but right now I'm reading The Hunger Games," Ruby says. "Maybe I can read one of your books next."
"Yeah, maybe," Rick smiles. "Most of them are kind of...graphic. But some of them are based on Captain Beckett."
"Cool. She told me that you guys used to work together. That's how my parents first met too," says Ruby. She's visibly more reserved at the mention of her parents. Rick stares off into the distance, not sure if he should say something, but Kate softly nudges him and pulls him back into the moment.
He clears his throat and says, "Ruby, I'm really sorry about your dad."
"My dad? What happened to my dad?" Ruby asks in a dramatic flair.
"Oh, god! I thought you...Kate, you said! Uh..." Rick exclaims, panicked and turning beet red.
Ruby busts out laughing. "I'm just kidding! I'm just kidding!"
Rick reaches for his chest in relief as Kate and Ruby smile at his expense.
"I totally got you," Ruby laughs. "But thanks. He did his best to take care of me but he was never the same after my mom died. He worked a lot cuz we didn't have a lot of money so I didn't see him that much. But we loved playing pranks on each other and making each other laugh. So I had to prank you."
"I love pranks," Rick laughs. "But that one was a little mean."
"Sorry," Ruby apologizes with another slight grin that showed that she was, in fact, not sorry.
"Hey, Ruby, you have something in your hair," Kate says.
"Really? Where?" Ruby asks, reaching to the spot Kate was pointing to, but instead of running her fingers through the dark brunette strands, she pulls her hair straight off.
Rick jumps with a wide eyed yelp.
"Hah, I got you again!" Ruby exclaims. "What? Never seen a wig before?" She laughs again. The girl's head is mostly bald, with thin patches of dark hair seemingly starting to grow back.
"My mom is an actress, so I've seen lots of wigs. You're just really good at pranks," Rick says.
"Kate and I planned that one when you were on your way here," Ruby laughs, reaching her hand out to plants a fist bump on Kate's outstretched fist.
"Wow, plotting against me as usual," Rick sighs.
"I had cancer," Ruby says. "My hair is starting to grow back, but I miss when it was long like this, so I wear a wig most of the time."
"I–" Rick starts to say something, but the social worker knocks on the door before entering the room.
"Sorry to interrupt, but Captain Beckett, could I speak with you for a moment?"
Kate nods and gets up from her chair, walking with the social worker to her office so they're out of ear shot.
"What's the best book you ever read?" Ruby asks, clearly unbothered by the social worker's return.
"The best book I ever read? Hmm, that's a tough one," Rick contemplates. "I really like this one called Casino Royale. It's about the spy James Bond."
"Oh, yeah, 007! I know him!" Ruby smiles.
"Yeah, he's awesome. I don't know if it's the best book ever, but it's one of my very favorites. What about you?"
"I think Middlemarch is the best book I ever read," the girl says after a few seconds of thinking.
"Whoa, you've read Middlemarch?" Rick asks in impressed disbelief. "Like Middlemarch, Middlemarch?" He uses his thumb and point finger to form a wide 'c' shape to indicate the density of the rather complex George Eliot read. He hadn't read Middlemarch until college and admittedly struggled to get into it the first time, but it was undoubtedly a great book once he trudged through it.
"It was kind of tough at first, but once I got into it, I thought it was just amazing," Ruby states. "It's either that or Matilda. She's sort of my fictional idol."
Before Rick can concur, Kate peaks her head back into the room and asks Rick to come with her. The social worker returns to the break room to supervise Ruby as Rick heads over to the Captain's office with Kate.
"This girl is amazing, Kate," Rick says. "She read Middlemarch! And she loves Matilda."
"Yeah, I knew you'd hit it off," Kate smiles.
"She reminds me so much of Alexis," says Rick with a nostalgic sparkle in his eye. "Can't believe she's a cancer survivor and an orphan. What a terrible hand to draw for anyone, but at 12? She's just...amazing."
"Yeah, that's why the social worker is making some calls. The system is already so over saturated and not many foster parents are equipped to handle her condition," Kate sighs.
"They can't find someone who will take her?"
"That's why I wanted you to come, I wanted to ask you something," Kate says, nervously biting at her lip like she often did.
"What are you thinking, Kate?"
"I want to ask her if she'd like to come home with us," Kate states.