15. Chapter 15

Title: Of Finding Innocence

Disclaimer: Boy, would that be cool!

Summary: Kate Beckett met Richard Castle once, long ago, at a book signing. What if things had gone differently that day? Castle, but with a large, large twist.

Author's Note: I don't have words to explain how awesome you guys are. I just don't. But you are, and I love you, and I thank you for your support, encouragement and delight.

Emma

Chapter 15:

"You know, you don't have to drive us to the airport."

"If you don't stop saying that, I might leave you here," Kate replied, watching as Rick attempted to shoulder both his and Alexis' carry-ons and two suitcases. "Though that would be cruel. Hand one of those over before you break something and Alexis has to fly alone."

Alexis laughed as she came down the stairs, Monkey-Bunky and Hamilton tucked under both arms. Kate shot her a grin as she wrestled the girl's suitcase away from Rick, who adjusted his bag over his shoulder so he could extend Alexis' back pack to her. They watched Alexis tuck the animals inside with care. Then she looked up at Kate as she slipped the pack onto her back.

"Did you remind Daddy to pack his pajamas?"

Kate blinked. "No?"

Alexis sighed. "Daddy, did you pack your pajamas?"

Rick's eyes widened and he gave Kate an apologetic look before dashing back toward his bedroom, leaving his suitcase on the floor. Kate looked down at Alexis and found her sighing at her in exasperation.

"That's supposed to be your job," she told her. "You make sure Daddy's packed so that I can be packed."

"Oh. Is that how it works?" Kate asked, reaching down to lightly pull on one of Alexis' braids. "I thought I was supposed to make sure you didn't miss your plane."

"You have lots of jobs," Alexis decided as Rick rushed back into the room and stuffed two pairs of flannel pants into his bag.

"When did I apply for these jobs?" she asked as Rick straightened himself out.

"Technicality," Alexis shrugged, turning and walking toward the door. "Come on!"

Kate looked over at Rick and found him grinning at her. "Keeping up?" he asked as he ushered her out of the loft behind Alexis, pausing to lock up as they went. His hand fell to rest on the small of her back and Kate bit back a smile at the familiarity.

"Better than you. What else have you forgotten over the years?"

He shrugged as they stepped into the elevator and Alexis pushed the button, leaning around Rick's side to grin at Kate. "Daddy forgot his suit once, for a book signing, and Mommy rushed out to buy him one."

"Why is that funny?" Kate asked, watching as Rick squirmed next to her, his hand tensing on her back.

"It was purple," Alexis replied with a giggle.

"How purple?" Kate asked, waiting for the full mental picture.

"Lilac," Rick supplied. "Happy?"

Kate made an honest effort to keep a straight face, but failed, letting out a loud laugh. His hand fell from her back as the elevator stopped and he stepped out first, frowning petulantly. She wanted to be nice about it, but Rick Castle signing books in a lilac suit? That was too good to be true.

"Let's move," he grumbled as she and Alexis followed him out and through the lobby, Alexis bouncing next to her. Kate took her hand as they stepped out onto the street and she led the Castles over to her car.

"We're not taking the cruiser?" Rick asked in dismay as Kate opened the back door for Alexis and then walked around to the trunk of her Sedan.

"I'm not driving you and your daughter in my Crown Vic," Kate replied, rolling her eyes. Honestly. "How would that look? Rick Castle carted off to jail with his daughter in the back seat? No thank you. Now," she walked back around to the passenger side. "Hop in and be nice."

"I didn't know you had an actual car," he said as he got in the passenger-side door.

"My Dad asked me to hold onto it a while back," Kate replied quietly. "I don't need it, but sometimes I use it just to keep it running."

She'd taken it from him, actually, when he'd gone under for the first time. He'd been furious, and they'd fought, but in the end, he'd paid her to store it at her place, and he'd yet to ask for it back. Kate would still rather ride her bike, but, well, there was no safe backseat for a little kid on her motorcycle. On top of that, Rick didn't even know that she owned a motorcycle. But this was not the time for that story. She walked around the car and got into the driver's seat, closing the door and buckling up. Alexis was already coloring in the backseat.

"Nice of you to do that for him," Rick said as she started the car. He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her from her thoughts. "Have I said yet that it's really good to see you?"

She glanced over at him as she pulled onto the street and squeezed his hand. "You may have mentioned it, yeah."

"Okay, but it is really good to see you." He threaded his fingers between hers in emphasis and Kate kept her gaze solidly on the road, knowing that she was fighting a losing battle to keep from blushing.

She and Rick had kept having their 10pm chats for the last three weeks, and Kate had found that once she'd gotten over her freak out—an incident they never mentioned again—talking with Rick was the highlight of her day. That wasn't to say that she didn't still have reservations about everything in her life, from Rick to her father to Alexis's increasing attachment, but she was more even keeled about it. Or, well, she was working harder than ever and had decided that she could box up confusion, even if she couldn't box up the relationships that caused it. Suppression—she was good as suppressing things.

"How'd your dinner go?" he asked as Kate turned at a light.

"It was good," she replied. "Dad's…he's doing well."

They'd gone to a little Indian place two nights earlier, and ended up talking for so long that she'd missed her call with Rick. She'd left him a voicemail on Monday, explaining, and they hadn't really gotten to talk since. Her father—he legitimately seemed better. He was getting some sun, and his eyes were closer to full and sparkling than they'd been in months, even before his relapse. She was desperately trying to keep herself in check, reminding her heart that she'd felt like this just a few weeks ago, and he'd fallen back. But her heart never listened to her, did it?

After all, Rick was still holding her hand, toying with her fingers, and Alexis was in the back seat, jamming away to a song on the portable CD player she'd pulled out of her back pack. No, her heart didn't listen to her head at all. And sometimes even her head didn't listen to her head anymore, like when she was on the phone with Rick late at night and she let them spiral through far too many inappropriate conversations, merely because they made her laugh.

"You're not serious," Kate snorted, rolling onto her side in laughter.

"Completely! Come on, Kate. Why would I lie about something like that?"

"You're telling me that you let Alexis braid your hair and then went into town, only to get hit on with pigtails in your hair?"

"By the scariest biker-chick I've ever met. I mean it," he replied, chuckling himself. "I didn't know the Hamptons even did biker-chicks. And I mean tattoos and the whole nine yards."

"And what did Alexis think about her?"

He laughed. "Oh, our little brave one just started chatting her up, asking about her bike and why she had a snarling flower on her arm."

Kate could see Alexis doing just that. "And biker-chick? Was she put off?"

"Oh, no. They could become fast friends," Rick replied. "She asked Alexis if she'd done my hair, and then let Alexis do hers. It was…it was surreal."

"Gonna bring her home and invite her over to dinner?

"I only do that with the women who offer to take my child to the bathroom," he replied, a smile in his voice.

"Oh, I have competition?" Kate asked. She hadn't actually meant to say that. She hadn't. Stupid mouth. Stupid brain. Stupid butterflies that shouldn't exist in her stomach.

"If you count my mother and occasionally Paula or Gina as competition," he replied. "But no, Kate. You're in a league of your own."

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. When were they coming home? A week? Why was she so excited to see them for about an hour when she took them to the airport? Why did this conversation make her blush? Why was she bothering to let this cycle continue in her head?

"Good to know," she replied evenly.

"Like biker-chick could replace you," he laughed. "Come on, Kate. I've never seen my daughter so excited for a phone call."

"You don't know. Biker-chick could tell an awesome bedtime story."

"No, that's my kingdom. Even you can't beat me at that."

"That confident in your storytelling skills?" Kate needled, grinning as he let out a huff. He was such an easy mark.

"I happen to have made millions with those skills, Officer," he replied haughtily. "And I have told a child to sleep with more talent than you for many years."

"Don't put your money where your over-sized mouth is going to get you in trouble, Richard," she replied. "Or I'll be tempted to challenge you to a sleep-off."

"Oh, it's so on!" he exclaimed. "We'll do it when we get back."

"Do what, Mr. Castle?" Kate replied, slapping her forehead at the sultry, throaty sound of her voice. That wasn't meant to be a double entendre.

"Oh, we'll get to that too, Miss Beckett," he replied just as low, just as sultry, just as throaty; and damn him, didn't it suit him well. "But I was suggesting something more…child friendly."

"Name your terms." Play it cool. That's how she'd get out of that one.

"A face off, back to back. You get bedtime one night. I get bedtime one night. And we see who gets Alexis out faster."

She'd win. Russian Literature would lull Alexis to sleep in an instant, especially if she recited in Russian; it was like a lullaby, but with the added benefit of sounding suspiciously like a textbook—instant sleep. "You're on, Writer Boy."

"Man. Writer Man," he corrected. "You have Pigeon Boy already. I demand that any other monikers include the title of, 'man,' thank you."

"You have to prove your worth to gain that title, Rick," Kate teased.

"You just wait until I prove that title, Katherine."

She just kept leaving herself open to them. "Yeah, yeah, Mr. Ego. You keep thinking that."

"I will." She could hear him grinning through the phone. "Are you sure you can't make it out here again?"

She sighed. "I'm sure. I wish I could, but I can't take time off; we got that weekend not too long ago."

"That was two whole weeks ago," Rick whined. "I miss you."

Kate definitely felt her heart flutter. "I miss you too," she whispered, like she was telling him a secret. How secret could it be? They talked every day. Since she'd found the inner peace to get over herself about Rick, and what they may or may not be to each other, she'd found that she missed him very much. She'd never missed a guy like that before, and she and Rick weren't even a thing. Yet, her mind reminded her—they weren't a thing yet. They fell silent for a few minutes, just laying there, listening to each other breathe.

"Crap," she muttered as she caught the time from the harsh glow of her bedside clock. "I need to go to sleep."

"Didn't mean to keep you on for so long," he replied with a chuckle.

"Eh," Kate shrugged, sitting. "Who needs sleep, really?"

"That's my healthy girl," he laughed.

"Shut up."

"Hey now, play nice!" he replied. She shook her head and stood, walking toward the bathroom and shedding her work slacks. She hadn't bothered to tell him that she'd only gotten home about ten minutes before his call. He didn't need to have more ammo.

"No," she replied easily, laughing at the indignant gasp she could hear through the phone. "Now, I need to go and get some sleep so I don't face plant instead of chasing criminals in the morning."

"Fine," he sighed.

"Night Rick," she smiled as she shimmed into a pair of track pants.

"Night. Oh, and Kate?"

"Hmm?" she replied, tugging her hair out of the bun it had been in all day.

"Competition? You don't have any."

She didn't have a response. All of the breath had just rushed from her lungs and she was left speechless. Had he really?

"And on that note, talk to you tomorrow, Kate. Sweet dreams."

He clicked off and she was left standing there, staring at her own flushed reflection. She dreamt of him that night, his arms wrapped around her as they lay on his big couch, watching a movie, him pressing kisses to everywhere he could reach. It was the tamest dream she'd ever had, but it left her smiling through the following day. Esposito's confused looks were just a wonderful bonus.

"I'm glad your Dad's doing better," Rick told her, bringing her out of the memory as they hit the highway. She wondered whether he'd been lost in thought as well, or just waiting her out.

"Me too," Kate replied.

"When do I get to meet him?" Alexis asked, her voice startling them both.

Kate glanced over at Rick, who surreptitiously released her hand, letting it fall to the console between them. He shrugged.

"Kate's father's very busy, Lex," he said after a moment. It wasn't a lie; her father was busy. Kate was actually starting to believe that he'd make it this time, but that didn't mean that she was comfortable pushing him on Rick and Alexis. And wasn't meeting the father something that…who was she kidding? There were no rules. She just had to keep believing that. There were no rules to this thing they'd started.

"But, if she'd like to invite him for dinner in a few weeks, I'm sure he'd be able to make time," Rick added.

Kate blinked and looked over at him again. He met her gaze with a smile and she didn't fight the urge to reach for his hand again. She wrapped her fingers around his and squeezed. He was going to help her help her father? If only she had enough arms to hug him right now, without crashing and killing them all.

"I'll ask him, Alexis," she said, once she'd found her voice.

"Tell him I really wanna meet him," the girl added. "Daddy says having me ask always makes people more willing to say yes."

Kate laughed as Rick shrank down in his seat a bit. "I'll make sure to do that, Lex," she giggled. "And you and I have to have a chat about that tactic, mister," she added.

"Hey now. I haven't used her against you. I would never do such a thing!" he protested, tugging gently on her arm.

"I do that to you on my own," Alexis added.

Kate shook her head and bit back a smile as she listened to Rick and Alexis list off the various things they'd convinced people to do for them, using Rick's charm and Alexis' adorable face.

They reached the parking lot at JFK with two hours to spare before the Castles' flight. The Delta atrium was buzzing with movement, and Kate kept a tight hold on Alexis' hand as they wove through the crowds to get to baggage check. Rick held his hand at the small of her back and guided them over to a less populated station, his sunglasses still firmly pulled down over his eyes.

"Do you get mobbed at the airport?" she asked quietly as they came to a halt and joined the shortest line, putting down their suitcases.

"Sometimes," he replied. "Not as much since…you know," he added.

Kate nodded and squeezed his hand, watching shadows fall over his face. They'd never talked about 9/11, and she had no idea whether he'd lost someone, or someones, that day. Kate had been lucky enough—though that word hardly seemed fair or right—to keep all of her associates intact, but she knew of many brave officers and firefighters who had gone down with the towers.

"Did you lose anyone?" she asked, glancing down at Alexis, who was busy watching the other milling passengers.

"A few people," Rick murmured, turning to look at her. "But no one I was extremely close to."

"Doesn't make it better," Kate replied, leaning into him. He released her hand and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side as the three of them took another step and moved up in line.

"No," he whispered, turning his head to press his lips to her temple. Kate let out a small breath against his chin at the gesture and felt him give her shoulders a squeeze. "Unsettled by my touch, Miss Beckett?"

"In your dreams," she replied, pulling back to narrow her eyes at him, the moment effectively ruined. Though, from the tension she could feel in his arm, he was less than thrilled to be getting on a plane. He hid it well, but she could feel it radiating off of him, even as he tried to use her as a distraction.

"Always," he grinned. "But, why don't you and Lex go over to the wall and wait for me to check these through? Then we can say our goodbyes, since we can't take you into the terminal with us."

"Why can't Kate come to the gate?" Alexis asked, tuning back into their conversation.

"Because there are new rules, Pumpkin," Rick replied easily. "They want to cut down on traffic."

"Because of the Towers?" Alexis asked quietly, turning to look at Kate, as if she expected her to give her the hard answer.

Kate felt Rick stiffen next to her. She wound her free arm around his side for a moment, squeezing his hip before she stepped away from him and guided Alexis back out of the line. She had a feeling that Rick didn't need to hear her answer, almost as much as he wished Alexis was as clueless as a regular seven-year-old. They reached one of the walls of windows at the side of the large atrium, and Kate sat down along the lip, beckoning Alexis to come and stand between her legs.

"I thought you'd come and watch us take off," Alexis said, acknowledging that they'd put their conversation on hold for the walk over to the windows.

"I wish I could, but they just want to keep the airport safe, you know?" she asked, watching Alexis mull it over, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth.

"But you're not a bad person."

Kate smiled. "Right."

"So you wouldn't try to blow up a plane," she whispered. How the child knew to be quiet about such a subject was beyond Kate. It broke her heart a bit that Alexis had to learn that lesson at all. So she nodded and took the girl's hands.

"Of course not. But they have to be careful. Not all bad people look a certain way," Kate told her honestly, trying to tell the truth without delving into the realities of terrorism and politics.

Alexis frowned. "But I wanted to spend more time with you."

"I know, Sweetie," Kate replied, giving her hands a squeeze. "But we'll see each other soon, and then we can spend the whole day together, okay?"

"Okay," Alexis sighed. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Kate replied. What else could the girl want to ask?

"How do you not get scared on planes?"

That's right—Alexis didn't like flying. She met Kate's eyes and Kate gave her a smile, watching as Alexis tentatively smiled back. But there was an underlying fear there, and Kate suddenly had an even greater respect for the little girl. It took a lot to face your fears just to go see your Mom.

"I just pretend that I'm on a really big roller coaster that takes a really long time to go down the hill," Kate replied after a moment. Really, she pretended she was going up an enormous hill on her bike, but Alexis wouldn't have that kind of image to fall back on. And, honestly, she was always scared to death on planes, but that wasn't the right answer to give either. "And yes, it's scary. But your Daddy will be there with you."

"I know," Alexis replied, scuffing a foot against the floor. "And he always lets me hold his hand…but…"

"It's okay to be scared, Lex," Kate told her quietly. Rick was walking back over to them. "Everyone gets scared sometimes."

"Even you?"

Kate nodded. "Even me. Even your Dad."

"Even me what?" Rick asked as he came to a halt behind his daughter. "Even I'm ruggedly handsome?"

"Ruggedly conceited," Kate replied easily. "But no, Fabio, I was telling Alexis that everyone gets scared sometimes."

"Oh," Rick nodded slowly, letting his hands fall to Alexis' shoulders. She looked up at him and he smiled down. "I'm scared of lots of things."

"Like losing me in the store?" Alexis asked.

"Yes. Like that," he smiled, dancing her back and forth. "And clowns."

"Oh, yeah," Alexis giggled, looking back at Kate. "He screamed once."

Kate looked up and met Rick's blushing gaze. "I may have tried to take this one to the Circus, and wasn't, uh, quite able to handle it."

Kate nodded, unwilling to laugh, because that would send the wrong message; however, on the phone that night? Rick totally had it coming.

"What are you scared of?" Alexis asked as a few people rushed past, jostling Rick into the girl, and subsequently pushing Kate back against the window as both of them stumbled into her.

"Suffocating against a window," Kate laughed, as Rick straightened up.

What was she afraid of? Guns. Knives. Sharp objects and cornered suspects. Bombs. Terrorists. Bees. Dark, secluded alleys. Drunken calls from her father. Plain clothes at the door, telling her someone was dead. Death. Mimes made her uncomfortable. Forgetting her mother. Losing someone. Losing them. Cockroaches.

"I'm scared of bees and…" she glanced at Rick. How much should she say to Alexis? She wanted to be honest, and Alexis deserved to know real things—to understand that adults had fears as well. "Planes and losing people I love."

"Me too," Alexis replied after a moment and Kate looked back at her, noting Rick's warm smile. "But I really don't like planes," she added on a whisper.

"Well, you know," Kate said, an idea popping into her head. She rummaged in Alexis' backpack and pulled out Hamilton the turtle. "Hamilton loves flying. So you can squish him really tight and give him your fear, and he'll take it and give you bravery."

Alexis took the proffered animal from Kate and looked down at it while Rick zipped her backpack up, winking at Kate. Then Alexis turned her gaze to Kate. "You know that's not true."

Kate met her eyes. "What's not true?"

"Hamilton isn't real, so he can't have feelings, and he can't take mine."

"Pity when she outsmarts you, isn't it?" Rick asked.

Kate shot him a glare and then turned to the overly perceptive munchkin. And she'd thought that was rather clever. Damn. "Okay, so Hamilton can't really take your fears, but you can still squish him really tight when you take off, and just pretend that he can, okay?"

"Okay," Alexis sighed.

"Promise me you'll try?"

"Okay," Alexis promised.

Rick glanced at his watch and sighed. "We've gotta go, Pumpkin."

Alexis nodded and then wrapped her arms around Kate's neck. Kate hugged the little girl close. "I'll see you in a week," Kate promised.

"Bye Kate, love you," Alexis whispered.

"Love you too, Munchkin," Kate replied, giving her one last squeeze before she stepped back. Kate stood and turned to Rick. "I'll see you in a week? Lemme know when you're getting in. Conveniently on Tuesday, right?"

He grinned. "When else?" He reached for her with the hand that wasn't holding Alexis' and Kate allowed herself to be pulled into a hug. "Can't wait to come back," he whispered against her ear.

Kate smiled and pulled back to look him in the eye. "Looking forward to it," she replied. He beamed and leaned in to press his lips to the corner of her mouth, as though it were how they greeted each other all the time.

Kate felt herself stiffen for a moment before she relaxed. Another odd step toward whatever it was they were heading for. But she'd made peace with that, right? She'd made peace with being in the 'in-between' with him, right? So why the hell was her pulse trying to break free?

He leaned back and they smiled at each other. "See you in a week," he murmured. "Ready, Lex?"

"Yeah," she replied quietly. "Bye, Kate."

"Bye, Sweetie," Kate said with a smile, eliciting a small one from the girl. "Bye, Writer Man."

"Hah!" he beamed. "I am a man!"

"Say that louder, I dare you," she laughed. "Keep him out of trouble, Alexis."

"Okay," she giggled.

Kate felt his arm slip from its hold across her back and they stepped apart. He gave her hand one last squeeze, and then she was watching them walk across the atrium and out of sight. She stood there for a long moment, people moving hurriedly around her. She couldn't quite wrap her head around it. She'd been so upset and worried a few weeks ago, but Madison had been right; she'd been over complicating everything. Now, with the feeling of his lips warm against the bottom of her cheek, nothing had ever seemed so simple or so complicated at once.

"Was that your family, dear?" an older woman in a sundress asked, startling Kate from her thoughts

"Sorry?"

"Your daughter is adorable. And that hunk? Whew. I'd kill for a guy that looked at me like that."

"Oh." Oh. Oh, wow. "They're um, he's not…we're all just friends," she rushed out.

The woman hummed, brushing back a strand of long dark hair. "Well, regardless, they're lovely. Hope they're coming back soon," she said after a moment.

"Yeah, they are," Kate replied automatically. She was terrible in these types of situations, especially when people assumed she and Rick were married. And who was he to leave her alone to deal with this? "Just a week."

"Well, I hope you don't miss them too much. Excuse me," she walked away, leaving Kate staring after her.

After a minute, she managed to force herself to leave the terminal and walk back to her car, her mind in an odd haze. She had expected seeing Rick and Alexis again to be…what? Awkward, she supposed. But it was the opposite, like slipping into a warm bath, or into a comfortable pair of pants—pants that seemed to fit better every time she wore them. She shook her head as she reached her car. She was spending too much time talking to him if she was comparing their relationship to pants.

(…)

The week passed slowly and busily, with three fresh homicides and a slew of less than pleasurable scenes and suspects. When they weren't on the street, she and Esposito were camped at their desks, doing endless paperwork. She managed one bath and a brief coffee date with Lanie, but otherwise, spent the week solidly in the Precinct, exchanging snark with Esposito and trying to ignore the part of her that was desperately waiting for Tuesday. She was rather unsuccessful.

So when she spotted Rick and Alexis coming down the corridor at JFK's domestic terminal, she grinned and let herself be unabashedly happy for the first time in weeks. Fighting it was really getting her nowhere.

"Oh, God, sanity!" Rick exclaimed when he found her in the crowd, a baseball cap perched backward on his head.

Kate laughed as they raced over to her and ducked under the rope barrier. Alexis hit her first, wrapping her arms around Kate's middle as Rick stumbled under the barrier, tangling himself and their suitcases up in the rope.

"Hi, Lexi," Kate smiled, running a hand over the girl's head. "You could have stepped over it," she added to Rick as he straightened up and walked the remaining steps to them.

"Too easy," he replied, dropping their bags and extending an arm to wrap it around her. "Man are you a sight for sore eyes," he murmured, his nose pressed against her cheek.

Kate smiled and leaned into him. "Ditto."

"We missed you, Kate," Alexis added.

"I missed you too," she replied honestly, meeting the girl's gaze. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah," Alexis smiled. "But some of it was really boring."

"And by really, she means deathly boring," Rick added as he stepped away from them and grabbed the suitcases. Kate slid his shoulder bag from his shoulder and onto hers, ignoring his protests as she took Alexis' hand and led them toward the doors.

"Why was it so boring?" she asked Alexis, curious. Rick would have been bored at his publicity meetings; she knew for a fact that he was, because he'd called her during one of them, pleading with her to distract him. She'd had to leave him hanging to go to a scene, though the whining she'd received about it that night had almost made her regret having gone to do her job.

"Mommy made us listen to her auditions," Alexis replied. "And…" she glanced over at Rick, who gave her an understanding smile and nod. "She's not very good," Alexis added softly.

Kate bit her lip, unsure of what to say. She couldn't say 'good,' because that would be unkind, and inappropriate, no matter how much she wanted to say it. And she couldn't grin evilly like she was doing in her head. Rick nudged her gently as they crossed another row of cars in the garage. She glanced over and he was grinning at her. Apparently, she hadn't done a spectacular job of hiding her catty side.

"It's okay, Alexis. She'll get better," he told his daughter.

"I just want her to be good at what she likes to do," Alexis replied with a little shrug. "And so that it's not so boring next time."

Rick laughed. "Hear hear, Pumpkin."

"It sounds like you were very nice about it," Kate said, deciding that the comment was innocuous enough.

"I clapped extra loud," Alexis replied as they reached Kate's car and Kate opened the back door for her. "And," Alexis motioned her closer while Rick took the keys from Kate's outstretched hand and opened the trunk. "I didn't cry on the plane."

Kate smiled at her. "I'm proud of you."

Alexis grinned. "Daddy was too."

Kate's hand moved of its own accord and rubbed the girl's cheek before she ushered her into the backseat and waited until she was buckled in before she closed the door. She turned and found Rick standing right in front of her.

"Alexis is being charitable. Meredith was horrible," he said quietly, his face turned away from the window as he handed the keys back to her.

Kate gave him a sad smile. "That's too bad."

He grinned at her after a moment. "You're not sorry about it at all," he laughed.

Kate scowled but felt the corner of her mouth twitch up. This was totally irrational. She had no reason to wish bad things on Meredith. Well, she did, but the death of her career seemed a bit much. She settled on a non-committal shrug. "Maybe she'll get better with time."

"Or the acting lessons she conned me into paying for," he sighed.

"Seriously?"

He nodded. "Seriously."

She blinked. "And you didn't say no?"

"Couldn't. She was talking about moving back here to work on soaps if she couldn't hit it out there. She cannot live in this city." He gave himself a dramatic shake but she could see the underlying fear, discomfort and lingering hurt that hovered under the surface.

"Then I'm all for paying her off," Kate told him. "Now get in so I can get you guys home."

"Staying for dinner?"

"Is this you inviting me?" she asked as he shuffled past her to go around the front of the car.

He stopped moving and she found herself pressed between his chest and the front door. "Yes," he breathed against her ear.

Kate glanced into the back seat and found Alexis snuggled up, her head resting on Hamilton as she slumped against the window, her eyes closed and mouth slightly parted. "Richard Castle, you are not honestly doing this in a parking garage," she said as his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back into his chest so that his chin rested on her shoulder.

"Doing what, Kate? I'm just giving my best friend a backwards hug. Is there something wrong with that?" His words were soft and she turned her head back to look at him, catching his gaze out of the corner of her eye.

They'd seen each other for a grand total of two hours in the last month, and this is where he was taking things? Really? She took a second to sort herself out as his hands rested on her abdomen, his breath strong against her cheek. It wasn't…bad. It wasn't uncomfortable. It wasn't anything negative in any way shape or form. But it was new, and it was unexpected and it was sending tingles up and down her spine.

"Have I rendered you speechless, Officer Beckett?" he whispered against her cheek.

She rolled her eyes. Moment broken. "No, just hot. Get in the car, Rick."

He released her and moved away so she could open her door. "Hot, huh?" he grinned wolfishly.

"As in temperature," she replied with a shake of her head. "Honestly, sometimes I think you stroke your own ego just for the hell of it." She got in and bit her lip. Two slips in under 30 seconds—yeah, she was definitely not affected by his presence at all. Of course not.

Deciding that Alexis was the perfect way out, she turned around to ask the girl if she was overheated, but found her fast asleep, her head lolling against the toy pressed against the window. And while she was happy the girl was sleeping, since she knew that the time change had bothered her, she desperately wanted a way to avoid the grin Rick was shooting her as he slipped into the passenger side.

Rick buckled in and glanced back at Alexis while Kate started the car. Then he turned and grinned at her as she steadfastly ignored him and pulled out of the slot, driving slowly toward the exit. She rummaged absently in the console, trying to find the few dollars she'd need to pay the ticket, before his hand stilled over hers.

"I got it," he said quietly, aware of the child asleep in the backseat.

"Thanks, but it's okay," she replied, glancing over at him.

"No, really. You dropped us off and came to pick us up. I can cover your parking."

"You sure it won't burn a hole in your pocket on top of those acting lessons?" she asked as they queued up behind a small chain of cars waiting to get out of the lot.

He narrowed his eyes at her as she turned to grin at him. "It's for the greater good," he replied. "Do you want her here?"

They moved up a car in line and Kate shook her head. "I don't actually know her, Rick."

"Trust me, that's to your benefit."

"Will I be meeting her, at any point?" she asked as they pulled up to the ticket booth and she grudgingly accepted the money Rick held out to her, along with the ticket he'd managed to swipe before she could grab it. "Thank you," she told the attendant, before driving out of the garage and getting onto the highway, melding into the slow-moving traffic.

"She said she'd be here for Alexis' Birthday in November, but probably not before."

"That's a while from now," Kate replied, slightly perplexed. She knew that they hadn't seen Meredith since November of the previous year, but she had somehow hoped that it wasn't a frequent thing.

"After the week we had, it's still too soon," Rick shuddered. "But don't worry, you'll get to decide for yourself."

"And why's that?" Kate asked as she merged into another lane and made the turn off to head back toward the city.

"Because Meredith wants to throw Alexis a big party, and Alexis is desperate for you to attend, and guess what day her Birthday is this year?"

"A Tuesday?" Kate supplied drolly.

"Aren't you so smart?" Rick grinned, pulling her free hand up to press a smacking kiss to the back of her palm.

She used that hand to lightly slap his face. "I'm not a dog, Rick."

"No, you're not," he replied with a leer.

"How was the rest of the trip, outside of audition auditions and acting lessons?" she asked, choosing to ignore his antics. He was on fire today.

"It was alright," he sighed. "Nothing great, nothing terrible."

"Publicity went well?"

"Yeah. I did a few signings and they're really revved up for the release next spring."

Kate glanced over at him. "And how far from finished are you?"

"A few more chapters. You wanna read for me when it's done?"

Kate blinked and did a mental check of her face. She wasn't grinning like a fool and bouncing up and down. That was an accomplishment. But she was smiling. Her favorite author—her favorite author —wanted her to be a first reader?

"Really?" she asked, proud of how even she sounded. This was amazing.

"Really," he replied. "You're smart, savvy, and you actually know what you're talking about."

"I didn't know you did first reads," she replied, instead of focusing on those compliments. It wasn't like he'd said she was beautiful, or that stars fell out of her mouth when she spoke and he danced on them, or something swoon worthy. The butterflies in her stomach begged to differ though.

"Not with a lot of people," he shrugged. "My mother reads them, when she has time, and sometimes I give them to Jim or Stephen, if they're not too busy."

"And with options like Patterson and Cannell, you're asking me?" If she wasn't careful, she might drive off the road. Why on earth would he want her to read his book if he had people like that lined up?

"You're my best friend," he replied easily, sounding slightly confused. "And you know, sometimes it's nice to get an opinion from someone who isn't your competition, and might just like to curl up with a good book."

"I do like a good book," she smiled, catching his eye.

He beamed. "Awesome. You can proof read then!"

She reached over and whacked his shoulder while he laughed. "Like I don't already do enough paperwork, Rick," she groused.

"Fair, fair. But, you know, if you see a 'your' that should be a 'you're,' circle it?"

She nodded. She could do that. Hell, she would proof it if it meant that she'd get to read it early. Oh, she needed to make sure that he never found out just how big a fan she was. That would be wholly too embarrassing.

"How was your week?" he asked, glancing back to check on his daughter, who was still fast asleep.

"It was busy," Kate told him. "Three homicides and lots of paperwork."

"Is three homicides good?" he asked, rummaging in his bag. "Gummy bear?"

She glanced at the bag he pulled out and rolled her eyes. What a child. "No thanks," she chuckled as he opened the bag and popped a few in his mouth. "And three homicides is…hectic. It keeps us busy and you don't focus on any one person, as a uniform. But it's…I don't know that three dead people are ever a good thing."

"Understandable," he said around a mouthful. She loved her job, but that didn't diminish the fact that the dead they investigated had been people too. Sometimes they had families, children, mothers, fathers—they were real.

"It's nice to have the day off," she admitted.

"Thanks for using it to cart us back from the airport."

She smiled. "Happy to do so. Are we ordering in?"

"Yeah. I'll have it delivered. How long, you think?"

Kate sighed a bit and stared at the traffic. "Another hour, probably," she replied. It was nearing five and the highway was beginning to fill out with rush hour traffic. Getting back onto the island and through to the SoHo loft would be difficult.

"Good that you have my charming company then, isn't it?" he grinned, extending a bear to her. "Please?"

She shook her head but took the proffered treat and popped it into her mouth. Green was always her favorite, and she smiled as she chewed. "Thanks."

"See, you do like them!"

"Never said I didn't," she replied.

"Well, you said yesterday that you couldn't stand sickeningly sweet things."

"That's because you tried to wax poetic with my name," she replied with a laugh. That had been something to hear. "And I can only take so much terrible poetry."

"But Kate, oh Kate, you're oh so great! This ride is sedate. I'm who you love to hate. I believe in fate, therefore, you'll be my mate!"

Kate pinched his arm. "Shut up, Rick," she mumbled. I believe in fate, therefore you'll be my mate. She couldn't even let her mind go near that one.

"Don't you believe in fate, Kate?" he laughed, grabbing her hand before she could take it back.

"I don't," she said firmly. Even if he seemed to, and even if it sometimes felt like meeting him and his daughter had been some sort of cosmic concoction, she didn't believe. Fate wouldn't take away her mother and drown her father. Fate wouldn't kill people the way she saw them murdered every day. Destiny wouldn't work like that.

"Why not?" he asked, a tinge of confusion and disappointment to his words.

"Because I spend all day with dead people," she replied. It was a simple answer, but as he squeezed her hand, she knew that it was good enough.

"I'm gonna change that."

For now, apparently. It was good enough for now. "Good luck."

He brought her hand up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss into the back of her palm. "You mark my words. I'm going to change it."

Kate gave him a soft hum of response, neither in encouragement nor discouragement. But his hands were warm over hers and her skin tingled pleasantly where his lips had been.

"And we'll start with having your father over for dinner. Have you asked him?"

"I was waiting for you to get home," she replied. "Are you sure?" Did he want to get involved? He could stay so safe, far away from the parts of her life that were ugly. He didn't have to delve into it with her, and try to help her fight her father's demons.

"I'm positive," he murmured as he squeezed her hand.

She let out a slow breath, and forced herself to concentrate on the road. She hadn't realized that she'd wanted him to say yes—that she'd wanted him to help her come back from that darkness. There was warmth settling in her chest and she glanced at him, finding herself confronted with steady, piercing blue eyes.

"Maybe family dinner is exactly what he needs," he added.

She didn't believe in Fate. But maybe she could start believing in them. Family. "Family," she breathed, sucking the air back in a second later, unable to believe that she'd said it out loud.

He laughed quietly.

"What?" she asked, feeling shy—a sensation she was not comfortable with.

"Nothing," he smiled. "What do you want for dinner?"

She smiled back at the distraction. Had he really gotten to know her so well? "Chinese sounds good," she replied.

"Done," he proclaimed. "So, road game? First one to three vanity plates gets the last egg roll?"

"You're on," she laughed.