74. 76: Friday

76

Castle manages to catch his daughter right as she's slipping out of the apartment.

"Hey, what's on schedule today?" he asks, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

"There's an honors philosophy class at 8, Dad. I gotta go," she says, but she rocks forward and kisses his cheek.

"Okay. You have a break for lunch?"

"Oh," she winces. "A group of us is eating together in the student center after our 10:45 orientation."

"Okay," he says, struggles to keep the disappointment off his face.

It must not work because Alexis leans in again and hugs him tightly. "Dad-"

"Just haven't seen a whole lot of you this week. Dinner the other night and that's it. Wanted to make sure everything was going okay."

"I love Columbia. It's amazing. It's so - there's so much, Dad. The classes are intense and the people are just - so hungry. Everyone's there to learn, to really know, to explore, to figure things out. It's the best - it's everything I wanted."

He nods and sees she's mentally halfway out the door and in her next summer experience class. He lets go of her shoulders. "Go on then, Alexis. Have fun."

"Yeah," she breathes and flashes him a smile. "Yeah, love you, Dad."

"Bye, pumpkin," he says, but he's already talking to the back of her head as she leaves.

He's just emailed the last chapter to his editor - entirely late, of course - when his phone rings. Castle answers it without looking closely, distracted by that final scene. He can't quite make it work, knows there's something off- "Castle."

"Hey there."

"Hey, Beckett," he grins and leans back in his office chair. "What's up?"

"You have lunch yet?"

"Actually, no. Haven't."

"Want to meet me at Gene's Place?"

"Mm, pancakes."

"And an omelette."

"Perfect," he says and stands up from his desk in search of pants. He's still in his boxers, hasn't even showered. "When?"

"Thirty minutes."

"See you there."

Kate's already got a table when Castle arrives at the diner; he snakes his way through the clusters of people and sinks down into the booth across from her. She tilts her head and laces her fingers together, elbows on the table, watching him.

"What?" he asks, a hand to his chest as he glances down to make sure he hasn't missed any buttons.

"You haven't showered, have you?" she says, a trembling laugh threading through her words.

"I. . .may not have," he answers.

Kate leans over and strokes her fingers through his hair, grinning at him, does it again. "Won't lay down," she sighs, shaking her head. She switches directions and rakes his hair forward, makes it hang in his eyes.

He's a little too stunned to speak, and now he's got a fringe of bangs framing his vision of her, and she's laughing at him.

"Anyway, Alexis texted me-"

"What?" he says, startled out of his voicelessness. "She texted you?"

"She said maybe you might want company for lunch. Kinda pathetic, Castle. Getting your daughter to set up your social calendar."

He half-shrugs through the warm fuzzy feelings spreading in his chest at the thought of his daughter and Kate conspiring to keep him from being lonely today. "Worked, didn't it? Won't say no to a little help."

"Need all the help you can get," Kate says, eyes laughing but her hand curling around his forearm and squeezing.

He shakes his head to rid himself of the annoying hang of his hair, but she makes a noise and scratches her nails lightly on his arm.

"Don't do that. Your hair, Castle-" And she keeps laughing at him, her thumb on his wrist bone.

He shakes his head again and uses his free hand to rake his fingers through his hair, grinning when she practically barks with laughter.

And then Kate is getting out of the booth and sliding into the seat with him, nudging him over with her hip, both hands reaching out to comb through his hair. Her palms cradle his cheeks, fingers scratching, and then she darts in and presses a kiss against his lips.

"I'm pretty sure you just made it worse," he mutters, but he brushes his cheek against hers.

She arches back a little, studying his hair, one of her hands landing hotly on his thigh. "Nope. Looks like you just slid out of bed. Sexy."

And before he can say anything to that, the waitress interrupts them.

Outside the diner, they stand on the sidewalk, Castle with a hand on his stomach, moaning.

"I ate too much."

"Yes you did," she laughs, reaching out for his hand. "Wanna walk?"

"No, woman. Did you not hear me? I ate too much," he groans. But he takes her hand and lets her pull him down the sidewalk.

"Walk a little ways with me, and then I'll let you catch a cab."

"Fine, fine," he sighs. And even though the pancakes and omelette and hash browns are sitting heavy in his stomach, he's happy to be walking with her, side by side, with her hand freely offered. "How was therapy yesterday?"

"Pretty good, actually."

He wants to remark about how happy she looks, but that might defeat the purpose. Instead he just walks with her, makes her go slowly, and lets her drop his hand when she reaches up to scrape her hair back.

"Hot," he says inanely.

"It is. We need rain."

He laughs. "I meant you."

She shoots him a look, amused and indulgent too, and then she reclaims his hand, their palms loose.

"You write today?" she asks.

"Yeah, actually. I managed to get the last of it done. All that's left are the edits."

"How long does that take?"

"About a week, probably."

"So, I need to stay away for a week?" she says, and is she sighing? Is she really pouting at him?

"I don't want you to stay away."

"I don't want to get a phone call from Gina."

He startles and glances at her. "Gina called you?"

She laughs, sparkling and rich in the humid summer afternoon. "That once. A few years ago. Just don't want a repeat."

He shivers. "Me either. That's like my worst nightmare."

"Mine too," she murmurs, giving him a wink.

Her fingers lace with his then, and she stops him on the corner. "Paths diverge here, Castle."

"No," he sighs. "I'll walk you home, now that I'm walking."

She grins and lifts on her toes to kiss him, swift and sure, and then slides back down. She's wearing those flat shoes again, the ones that make their heights uneven, and for some reason, feeling her lean against him for balance when they kiss - it makes his heart beat too fast.

She rubs her fingers over his mouth, nudges him with her hip.

"You coming?"