A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reached out with ideas/opinions about Kate's artwork! I had so many people come up with some really great 'solutions' and now I think I am just even more undecided with exactly which way I want to go with that. Thankfully, I think I have a few chapters before I get to that so I've got time to try and figure it out.

Anyways... another friend is back in this chapter. I'm sorry.

I'm trying to keep the angst away but it's my bread and butter!
As a compromise, I'm trying to use the angst to bring our couple closer. Does that make it any better?

"Was it really that bad?"

Rick looked down at Kate when she sighed and stared at the take-out box of noodles in her hands. The practically untouched take-out box of noodles in her hands. Her chair was pulled right up to his and she had spent most of the fifteen minutes that they'd all been sitting around Lanie's dining table leaning against his side, her head resting on his shoulder. A few days had passed since the incident - as everyone seemed to be calling it - and Kate had been feeling much better: the fatigue was wearing off, the feelings of dizziness and weakness were nothing more than a bad memory and her pain was significantly more tolerable than it had been. But no one seemed to be questioning the closeness or the supportive arm around her waist and Kate seemed intent on taking advantage of that peace while it lasted.

"When I was, like, four or five years old I was kicking a ball around the front yard with my neighbour." Kate began to tell her story, still staring into the void of her black bean noodles. "I kicked the ball too hard. It hit the fence post and rebounded across the road. I didn't even look before chasing after it."

Rick shifted his arm from around her waist, up to curl around her shoulders and gave her a very gentle squeeze.

"There was this old, beat up car speeding down the street and my dad- he just, he grabbed my arm and pulled me back. He just yelled at me: don't be so careless, Katie! It was the first time I remember him yelling at me. Like, not just raising his voice. He was truly yelling."

Rick combed his fingers through her hair. "He would have been scared."

Kate nodded, I know. Then, she looked up into Rick's eyes. He could see the guilt she felt. "Montgomery had that same look in his eyes."

"You know he's got a soft spot for you," Esposito said before taking a bite of egg roll. He chewed quickly - as if he hadn't eaten all week - and swallowed it down with a gulp. "You got this weird father-daughter bond thing going on."

"He's my mentor," she explained with a casual shrug of her shoulders.

Esposito shook his head. "Nah, it's more than that."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Either way, the Captain has never yelled at me like that," she grumbled.

"It was nothing compared to the ass-chewing we got," Ryan complained, wagging a finger back and forth between himself and Espo. "I'm the one who got shot!"

"Bro. Your vest got shot," Esposito corrected.

Ryan glared at him. "Two inches higher and you'd be crying into that Pad Thai, bro."

"You wish."

The chuckle had barely left Esposito's lips before Ryan tossed a half-eaten dumpling at him.

"Hey!" he whined before picking it up from where it landed in his lap and pegging it back at his partner.

"I am not cleaning little bits of dumpling up from all around my apartment," Lanie warned and the flinging of food came to a very sudden halt.

"Sorry," the boys muttered quietly and in almost perfect unison.

Kate looked at Rick - her hand over her mouth to try and hide the laughter she was holding back - and shook her head, rolled her eyes in a way that screamed they're such children.

It had been days since he had seen that genuine smile of hers; he just couldn't help himself. With a smile, he leaned closer and pressed a very gentle kiss to the waves of hair that framed her face. He expected her to pull back - he always let her be the one to decide how much affection was shown in front of her friends - but she just smiled, placed her hand over his knee and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Do you know when you'll be back yet?" Ryan asked, pulling her focus away from Rick.

She looked at him blankly for a short moment as she processed the question asked. "Uh, two weeks medical leave," she repeated the order from Montgomery (albeit, in a much gentler tone). She held up her bandaged wrist. "Gotta get this checked and get a doctor to clear me for work. I have a feeling I'll be tied to a desk for a while, though."

"Sounds good to me," Rick mumbled before shovelling a spoonful of Special Fried Rice into his mouth. Kate glared as he chewed and forcefully swallowed his dinner. "What? A nine to five desk job: I might actually get to see you occasionally," he joked.

But no one was blamed him for the many other reasons he didn't mind the idea of her being stuck behind a desk. They'd all been there before.

Jenny offered Rick a sympathetic smile.

"Hate to burst your bubble, Castle, but your girl just became the most sought-after detective in the precinct," Esposito said casually.

Your girl didn't go unnoticed but Rick chose not to comment, not to draw attention to it. Instead, he focused on every other part of Espo's statement.

"What do you mean?"

"Checking alibis, going through LUDs and financials: tied to the desk is just a slightly nicer way of saying at the beck and call of every team in the precinct," he explained.

"Don't forget the all important lunch run," Ryan added.

Espo nodded at Ryan's addition. "Beckett's going to be busier than ever before."

"Seriously?" Rick sighed, turned to look at Kate.

Kate looked at him apologetically. "I'm free as a bird this week," she said weakly, an offer of consolation.

"Summer break," he said, disheartened. "As one of the few parents with a flexible schedule, I usually play chaperone for all the college resume building activities. So, unless you wanted to spend your time off with half a dozen teenage girls..." he let the sentence trail off when he saw Kate's grimace. "That's what I thought," he added with a smile.

"I mean- if you wanted some company-"

"Don't you think you've suffered enough over the past few days?," he joked. But the gentle brush of his thumb along her purple-stained forehead was anything but insincere.

She reached up and wrapped her fingers around his hand, slowly pulled it away. "I'm not suffering, Rick."

"You're still in pain," he argued.

"Not as bad."

"And getting headaches."

"That's a mild inconvenience," she assured him. "At most."

Rick smiled. "You're Superwoman."

"Something like that."

Lanie cleared her throat. "You guys are super cute and all but I'm starting to feel like I'm intruding."

Kate ducked her head, hid her face behind her hand as she laughed. "Sorry."

Rick's phone began to ring and he pulled it from his pocket to check the caller ID.

"Oh, excuse me for a second," he said quietly.

Kate pulled herself away from him as he rose from his chair and stepped away from the dining table.

"Alexis, your ears must have been burning," he quipped with a smile.

His smile faded quickly, though, and the group could partially hear the girl's rushed words through the phone's speaker.

"Yeah, I'll be right there," he said before hanging up.

Kate stood and walked toward Rick. "Everything okay?" she asked.

"I have to go," Rick replied with a sigh.

"I gathered." Kate smiled, tilted her head as she tried to read his expression. He seemed just as uninformed as she was, though. "Alexis sounded... upset."

"She said she is fine but she needs me home immediately." He stepped forward, placed a hand on Kate's hip and quickly pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay."

Kate watched as Rick waved goodbye to the rest of the group and rushed out the door.

"So..." Esposito drawled once the door closed behind Rick.

Kate turned slowly, narrowed her eyes at her friend. The question on the tip of his tongue remained unspoken.

But only for several seconds.

"Are you guys together or what?" Lanie blurted.

Rick tapped his fingers against his thigh impatiently. His building's elevator had never felt so slow. When the carriage finally came to a stop and the doors slid open, he practically ran down the hallway toward his home.

"Alexis?" he called out as he entered.

He stopped in his tracks when he noticed the bright red suitcase at the bottom of the staircase.

"Is everything okay?"

"Dad!" Alexis called out from the top of the stairs.

Rick looked up, noted the wide-eyed, apologetic look on his daughter's face. He narrowed his eyes, tilted his head curiously.

And then she appeared: all poise and elegance, with that mischievous smile she wore so well. "Hey, Kitten."

"Meredith," Rick greeted, coldly. "What are you doing here?"

"Well," Alexis began to answer before her mother had the chance. "I was on the phone to Mum the other night and I was telling her all about my Summer plans-"

"I just wanted to do my part and help our wonderful daughter out," Meredith finished for her.

"Oh, did you now?" Rick groaned.

Meredith stepped around Alexis and descended the stairs.

"Did you know one of Alexis' friends is the daughter of Ryan Pettman?"

"He's a screenwriter," Alexis explained, knowing all too well what her mother's intentions were.

"I'm aware." Rick scrubbed a hand over his face, tried to wipe the disappointment from his expression. "Pettman's a busy guy, Mer. You won't meet him."

Meredith's sweet smile faded. "Oh."

"You're still going to stay, though. Right?" Alexis asked.

"Of course!"

"Where are you stay-" Rick stopped mid-sentence, looking back at the luggage by the stairs. He sighed, heavily, as he realised he already knew exactly where she planned on staying. "How long are you here for?"

"As long as my baby needs me," Meredith answered cheerily.

Rick looked back up to his daughter, still standing nervously at the top of the stairs.

Sorry, she mouthed.

He tilted his head to the side and the girl nodded her understanding of his silent request for a little privacy. She turned on her heel and went back into her bedroom.

Once he heard the door close, he spoke.

"You could have called."

Meredith shrugged off his anger. "I wanted to surprise Alexis."

"I would have kept the surprise."

"Oh, please," Meredith scoffed. "You always ruin the surprise."

"You can't just show up on my door step and expect to stay indefinitely," he complained.

His ex-wife smiled and stepped down the last few steps, coming to a stop in front of him. She placed her hand on his chest and looked up at him through fluttering lashes.

"You've never had an issue with it before."

Rick sighed. Again. "No, I've just never told you I've had an issue-"

"Because I always make it worth your while," she interrupted. "Right?"

He hated that, yes, she was right. No matter how frustrated he would get when she showed up out of the blue, his frustrations would never last long. She always did know how to... distract him, how to ease his anger, how to make it all better. Even after their marriage fell apart she knew she could use the same tried-and-true methods to get what she wanted from him.

"Not this time," he told her.

She dropped her hand from his chest and frowned. "Why not?"

"How long do you plan on staying?" he asked in attempt to change the subject. "I can get you a room somewhere. But you can't stay here."

"I only get so much time with my daughter, Rick. Are you really going to limit it even more?"

"Talk to her," he said. "Maybe she can stay with you? It'll be like a slumber party," he suggested.

Meredith folded her arms across her chest. "Wow. Are you really that against me staying?"

"I'm sorry, Meredith. It's just not a good idea right now."

"Why?" she asked again. Then she realised. "You're dating her now? The girl from the club."

She laughed, as if the thought was preposterous.

"It's none of your business," he warned. "You can either accept my offer to put you up somewhere or you can find somewhere yourself but, I'm sorry, you can't stay here."

Meredith pouted and huffed, like a displeased child. But she schooled her expression quickly, donning her best poker face.

"Alexis," she called out cheerily.

The girl appeared at the top of the staircase.

"How do you feel about a girl's weekend at the Four Seasons?" Meredith asked Alexis. "We can get mani-pedi's and facials and massages!"

"Really?" Alexis asked, looking to her father for confirmation.

"Anything you want, Pumpkin," he confirmed with a smile. "I figured some quality time with your mother should be a priority while she is in town. It's not often you get to spend time just the two of you." He looked at Meredith. "Not without having to fly cross-country first," he added.

Alexis frowned at her father - a silent scolding for his petty remark - but chose not to call him out.

"Sounds good," she said to her mother.

"Go pack a bag," Meredith instructed.

As soon as Alexis was out of sight again, Meredith turned her attention back to Rick.

"Better book a room," she said before casually strutting toward the kitchen and helping herself to a drink from the refrigerator.

Just a little over an hour later he was sitting alone on the couch in his big, empty, too-quiet loft.

He had managed to book a two bedroom suite at the Four Seasons for the full week. Not that he wanted Meredith to stay that long, but he had heard the sadness in his daughter's voice when she thought her mother would be leaving again. He hated the fact that Alexis only saw her mother for a few days here and there throughout the year, despised that she was left yearning for that familial relationship - much like he always had with his father - but he couldn't force Meredith to be more than a part-time mother. He had tried; that didn't work out well for any of them.

Besides, Alexis had been thrilled by the idea of spending a few days alone in a luxury hotel with her mother - and Rick knew he would do anything (and suffer through any amount of time in close proximity to Meredith) to see his daughter's bright smile and the sparkle in her eyes.

Still, with his mother visiting a friend in Paris and his daughter's unexpected absence, the silence was deafening.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled the number he should probably just add to speed dial at this point. He smiled as soon as the line connected and the sound of her quiet greeting filled his ear.

"Hey stranger," she said, and he could almost hear the smile on her face. "Is Alexis okay?"

"She's fine," he answered as he leant back into the cushions of the couch. "I'm not," he added in a grumble.

"You wanna talk about it?" she offered.

Rick sighed. As much as he would have loved to vent his frustrations, he didn't want to put it all on Kate. It wasn't her problem, he wouldn't want to make it her problem. He just wanted to talk to her - he'd talk about anything else.

"I have a better idea."

She hummed her curiosity. "And what would that be?"

"You should stay with me," he said confidently. "Here, in the loft. It's just me for the weekend. You don't have work, I have an actual bed that you can sleep in and I would really love the company."

"What happened to your chaperoning duties?"

"Let's just say I have been temporarily relived of said duties," he told her, avoiding too much detail. "You said you were free as a bird this week and, now, so am I. It seems as though fate is on our side."

"Fate, hey?" Kate's chuckle echoed through the phone; the sound made his heart flutter and his stomach clench as he hoped she would accept his spontaneous offer.

"Don't tell me you're not a believer," he replied.

"I wasn't," she said quietly and his heart almost burst as it filled with hope.

She remained silent as she considered his request. Just a few short seconds; he chewed his bottom lip anxiously.

"When do you want me?"