A/N: Huge thank you to Karisa for inspiring this piece and to those who encouraged this story with fierce enthusiasm. I hope it can live up to your expectations.

He is in so much trouble. He didn't even do anything, intentionally, but he's still in trouble judging by the glare from Principal Silva and the fact that he's in the principal's office to begin with.

Emily glances at him from her seat across the room, her tiny body barely filling the plush armchair, little legs dangling from the edge of her seat, and Castle attempts to reassure her with a small smile. If he was the one doling out punishments today, they wouldn't be here. Emily didn't necessarily do anything wrong, she was simply channeling her inner strength and defending herself, but giving a bully a bloody nose in the process is apparently frowned open. Violence is never the answer, so they say.

Emily's mother was called twenty minutes ago and Castle knows that the woman has a hectic schedule, but she had assured the principal that she would be attending this meeting. Castle is a patient man, but he does wish she would hurry, because the discomfort that has filled the room is bursting at the seams and he also has a batch of stories his class wrote today still waiting on his desk to be graded.

As if on cue, the office door swings open, a sharp staccato of heels echoing through the room, and Emily jumps from her seat.

"Mommy!"

Castle turns to see the woman in the doorway bending to catch her daughter, scooping her from the ground and cradling her close despite her size. Most second graders are too big to be propped on their mother's hips, but Emily is a dainty little girl and still manages to fit well in her mother's arms.

"Emily, are you okay?" she asks, lifting a hand to stroke her daughter's hair back, combing her fingers over her scalp as if she's checking for damage. "They told me there was a fight?"

Emily is the most well behaved child in his class. He never shows favoritism, but the girl reminds him of a younger version of Alexis at times - sweet, smart, and remarkably considerate for her age - but she's much spunkier than Alexis ever was and definitely knows how to stand up for herself. He's never met Emily's mother though. Jim Beckett, Emily's grandfather, had been the one to attend their open house a few weeks ago, and he has talked to Kate Beckett on the phone once when Emily had to stay home sick, but he's never seen her.

Not until now.

Golden brown waves cascade down to her shoulders, high cheekbones and harsh angles of bone construct her model-esque face, gorgeous eyes that match Emily's roam from her daughter to the principal, and legs that seem endless have her standing tall and intimidating in the office doorway. He also catches the shine of a badge on her hip.

So that's where Emily learned what had appeared to be an actual self-defense technique that sent Jason to the ground.

"I'm fine, Mommy. Jason hit me at recess, so I did what Mr. Castle taught me and used my inner strength."

Kate Beckett turns towards him for the first time, an eyebrow arched high, and he shrugs under her scrutiny before standing from his chair and extending his hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Ms. Beckett," he says with his most charming smile, but she looks less than impressed with him.

"Mr. Castle is my favorite teacher," Emily stage whispers when Kate hesitates to accept his handshake. "He plays fairy princess with me."

The smallest hint of a smirk tugs at her lips and she reluctantly places her hand in his, gives him a firm shake.

"Likewise, Mr. Castle."

Principal Silva clears his throat. "If introductions are all out of the way…"

That steals Kate's attention and she turns back towards the principal watching them impatiently from behind his desk.

"What seems to be the problem?" Kate demands, polite but professional, placing Emily on her feet but keeping a hand on her shoulder. "A boy hit her and while I don't condone violence, I also don't see this as anything more than a case of self-defense. And by the way, where is this boy? Has he already been punished for his actions?"

Castle attempts to keep his growing awe of this woman from shining in his eyes, but no other parent has ever been so direct with Principal Silva and there's no refuting Kate Beckett either. Jason has escaped punishment far too many times for his liking, but Silva refuses to take action.

"To be candid, Ms. Beckett, Jason's parents are two high-powered lawyers with a zest for legation, we have learned from past experience that it is best if Jason's parents are not involved in altercations such as this and that we don't upset-"

"Oh, really?" Castle watches her body coil, her face still calm, but the anger vibrating along her bones. He can see why she's a cop, can picture her clearly intimidating any suspect unfortunate enough to end up in an interrogation room with her. He thinks Principal Silva can too. "Well, Mr. Silva, you should know that if anyone lays a hand on my child, and you allow that person to get away with it, I will be your worst nightmare and theirs."

Castle catches Emily giving him a smug lift of her eyebrows, and he nods in silent agreement, sharing an impressed smile with the girl while Silva is distracted.

"Yes, well." Silva shifts uncomfortably in his office chair. "I suppose there's nothing more to be said then."

Kate nods, but the warning doesn't leave her eyes, a golden flame in the sea of greens and browns. "Good, hopefully this is the last time we'll be having this conversation."

"I'm certain of it," the older man replies and Rick takes this as a sign that their meeting is over. He reaches for the handle of the door, but has barely closed his fingers around the brass knob when Silva's attention returns to him, the apparent cause of this entire issue. "And Mr. Castle, your intentions may have been pure, but encourage violence again, and your suspension will be imminent."

He's suddenly having flashbacks to his high school days. Too many hours spent in the principal's office, too many lectures, too many phone calls to his mother.

"Yes, sir," Castle replies with a forced smile as he opens the office door and extends his arm with a flourish towards the hallway. "Ladies."

Emily trots through the door with her head held high and her mother follows suit, striding into the hallway as if she just closed a case, and in reality, he thinks she has.

"That was really impressive, how you handled Principal Silva," he tells her, jogging along to catch up to her and Emily.

Kate casts him a sidelong glance, one of those perfectly groomed eyebrows curving upwards once more.

"Is this your way of thanking me for something you are apparently responsible for?"

"Hey, no, I was just trying to help," he defends, dodging a row of lockers before his shoulder can suffer a slam into the metal. "This kid, Jason, has been picking on her for the last few weeks and I try my best to control it, but I can't be everywhere at once, so today, Emily and I stayed in during the first half of recess to talk about it."

"And we played fairy princess tea party," Emily chimes in, grinning back at the two of them from over her shoulder as she skips ahead down the hallway. "He's a great princess, Mommy. Almost as good as you."

Kate's smile gets the best of her this time, spreading across her lips and revealing the whites of her teeth. She really is beautiful, especially when she smiles.

"Is that right, Mr. Castle?" she teases, her eyes dancing with amusement as she tilts her head in his direction.

"I've had a lot of practice," he admits. "Anyway, I simply told Emily to try and let it go when Jason picks on her, to use her inner strength to be the better person, but well… she kind of misinterpreted my meaning."

"I see," Kate hums, her lips still quirked as if she's trying not to laugh at him. "Well, I guess I can't blame you for genuinely attempting to help."

Castle sighs in quiet relief and pushes one of the building's entrance doors open with his shoulder, squinting against the bright glare of the descending sun.

"Sorry you had to be called out of work though, I can only imagine how busy you must be."

"It's not a problem," Kate waves him off, catching Emily's hand as they cross the street together. "She comes first and besides, it was good timing. We'd just closed a case and I was getting ready to come pick her up myself."

"You're a detective, right?"

He watches her bottom lip fall victim to her teeth while she digs in the purse at her shoulder. "Yeah, homicide."

"Wow, that must be stressful."

She shrugs and retrieves a set of keys from the leather bag. "It can be, but aside from being her mom, there's nothing else I'd rather be doing."

Emily swings their intertwined hands as they stroll through the parking lot. "Mommy, what are we having for dinner?"

A brief panic crosses Kate's face and he knows that look. He was never a fan of coming up with last minute dinner plans for his daughter after a long day of work either.

"You know, what if you came to my place for dinner? My daughter's home from college this week and she's an amazing cook."

"Oh, we couldn't-"

"Why?" Emily groans, throwing her head back to meet her mother's eyes. "Mr. Castle has a picture of his daughter on his desk and she's really pretty, Mom. And Mr. Castle probably has such a cool house and-"

"Emily," she scolds, quiet but firm, eliciting an exaggerated pout. "Remember the talk we had about manners?"

"But he invited us," she points out.

"I did," Castle adds, earning that same look of reprimand Emily just received. "Really, Detective Beckett, you wouldn't be imposing if that's what you're worried about."

They reach what he assumes is Kate's car, a sleek black Charger that just screams badass, and Rick allows her a moment to mull it over. Inviting her to dinner after only just meeting her a mere half hour ago is probably pushing it, but it's not as if he's just asked her on a date. His daughter will be there, hers will too, and it'll give him a chance to finally get to know the parent of one of his best students.

The fact that she's extremely attractive and equally as fascinating is simply an added bonus.

She sighs. "Fine."

Emily cheers and Castle offers her a high five that earns a scowl from the older Beckett.

"Get in the car," Kate chuckles, unlocking the door and waiting until Emily's climbed into the hot pink booster seat in the back to close the door. She chews on her lower lip once again when she turns to face him, the habit proving to be a maddening thing to watch, especially when he feels the urgent need to attend to that abused bottom lip with his own. "It's nice of you to do this, but you really don't have to."

"No offense, Detective, but you look exhausted, you just had to deal with our jackass of a principle, and Alexis and I wouldn't mind the company. Just think of it as a parent teacher conference," he suggests, smiling when she scoffs at him.

"It's Kate, by the way," she murmurs, curling her fingers around the door handle to the driver's seat.

"Rick," he says in return, doing his best to ignore the ridiculous flutters of excitement tickling his ribcage. "I think I have your number in my phone, I can just text you my address."

"That sounds good. We'll see you at dinner."

Kate throws him one last smile before she slides into the car, turning her key in the ignition and shifting the vehicle into drive. Emily waves at him from the backseat, a wide, toothy smile consuming her face, and he waves back as he moves away from the car. Kate winks at him and wiggles her fingers just before she pulls out of the parking lot, and as soon as the two Beckett's have disappeared down the street, he fishes his phone from his pocket, finds his daughter's number in the recent calls list.

"Hey Pumpkin, you don't mind if we have a couple of guests over tonight, do you?"

Kate wishes she possessed the same enthusiasm as her daughter does while they ride the elevator up to Rick Castle's loft. She had expected a teacher to live somewhere far more low key, but somehow, Emily's teacher has managed to snag one of the best apartments in SoHo.

"Mommy, why are you nervous?" Emily asks, staring up at her with those wide brown eyes.

Kate sighs and brushes her daughter's hair back. "I'm not nervous, honey."

"You were playing with grandma's ring," Emily informs her, her eyes darting to the chain dangling from Kate's neck.

She hadn't even realize she had pulled the ring out from the neck of her sweater she changed into before they left, the habit of curling her fingers around the chain practically second nature, and she quickly tucks it back in.

"I'm not nervous," Beckett repeats, but her daughter is unconvinced. "Just remember that after dinner, we're going home, okay?"

"I know, Mommy," Emily sighs, a distinct hint of annoyance in her voice. She still has a few years, but Kate isn't exactly excited for her daughter to become a teenager, especially if Emily is anything like she was at that age. She doesn't think her dad can survive another wild child phase.

The elevator doors slide open and Emily drags her down the elegant hallway to the correct door, bouncing on her toes and straightening the skirt of her favorite pink dress that she insisted changing into before glancing up at her mother.

"Can I knock?"

Kate takes a deep breath and nods. "Sure."

She isn't nervous, she has absolutely no reason to be nervous. She's just tired and slightly out of her element, that's all.

The door swings open and they're greeted by a young woman with fiery red hair, familiar blue eyes, and a sweet smile.

"You must be Kate and Emily," she says, opening the door wider and inviting them in. "Dad's just putting his final touches on dinner. Oh, and I'm Alexis."

"Hi Alexis," her daughter returns with her best smile while Kate forces her jaw to refrain from dropping as she examines the spacious loft Rick Castle's daughter is leading her into. "Your daddy is my favorite teacher."

"He was mine too," Alexis chuckles, pausing before a sleek looking kitchen accessorized with stainless steel appliances and marble countertops. "Hey Dad, Emily and Kate are here."

Castle spins in the middle of the spacious area Kate can't seem to tear her eyes away from, the source of that heavenly smell that greeted her when they walked in held between his mitt-covered hands.

"Perfect timing," he grins, his eyes so warm and intensely blue as they land on her. "Hope you two are okay with Italian."

"More than," Kate answers, staying behind when Alexis guides Emily towards the huge dining room table bathed in the soft glow from the fireplace nearby. "Your home is gorgeous, Rick," she murmurs as he comes towards her with the large pan of lasagna.

"Thanks, having two incomes really helps."

"Two incomes?" she echoes, following him to the table with basket of garlic bread she saw him eyeing.

"Yeah, I write on the side. Nothing major, but it's enough to pay the rent on this place."

Kate nods, attempting to quell her curiosity, and watches Emily climb into one of the stylish tan chairs next to Alexis, chattering away to the young woman who patiently, graciously, seems to be listening to every word. She's about to signal Emily's attention, silently tell her to rein just a little of her enthusiasm in, when Rick pecks a kiss to her cheek.

Kate startles, but when her head swivels in his direction, he's holding back a laugh.

"Jackass," she huffs under her breath.

"It's just a polite form of greeting, Kate," he informs her while he begins serving neat squares of lasagna onto the four shining porcelain plates on the table. "You look lovely, by the way."

She refuses to blush. She does find him attractive, she can admit that, but she has no time to even entertain the idea of a relationship, especially not with her daughter's teacher of all people. Her life is complicated enough.

"Thanks," she mumbles, sighing as he pulls out her chair for her and then takes his own seat beside her.

This is going to be a long meal.

Kate nurses her single glass of wine for the entirety of dinner, taking small sips of the red liquid after every few bites of lasagna, and savoring the flavor with a quiet hum of appreciation. He follows her lead, wanting a clear head while she and her daughter are here anyway, but it piques his curiosity, causes him to wonder if there's more to the measured moderation or if he's reading too deeply into the choice. It's often the latter.

Emily and Alexis both enjoy glasses of sparkling apple juice per his daughter's suggestion and he makes a mental note to thank her for making Kate's daughter smile so relentlessly throughout the evening. He's hated watching Emily withdraw back into her shell over the last few weeks, hated being able to do so litte about it with his limited power. She's a vibrant little girl, happy and full of life, and he's found it heartbreaking to watch another person zap that joy from her each day.

But after that bloody nose she delivered during recess, Rick has a positive feeling that Jason's bullying will come to a long halt.

Once everyone's finished eating, Kate insists on helping him clear the table, carrying dishes to the sink with him despite his protests that she's supposed to be a guest. If he's learned anything today, it's that Kate Beckett is stubborn and there's no arguing with her.

While she's helping him rinse tomato sauce from plates, Emily comes bounding up to them, propping her chin on her mother's hip and giving her a set of puppy dog eyes Castle knows all too well.

"Mommy, can I watch just one movie with Alexis? Mr. Castle has all the Disney movies."

He watches Kate sigh down at Emily's hopeful face, her small palms pressed together in the imitation of a prayer under her chin.

"One," Kate tells her with a stern look, hiding her thinly concealed smile behind pursed lips when her daughter throws her arms around her knees. "Your bedtime is approaching, young lady."

"Yes, ma'am," she replies, skipping back to the living room where Alexis is kneeling near the television, searching through their DVD collection.

"Thank you, for this," Kate tells him once the lights in the living room have dimmed and they're alone in the kitchen. "I usually don't have the time to do too much with her on work nights and she obviously adores Alexis-"

"I'm pretty sure Alexis adores her too," he cuts in, pleased when the observation seems to bring her relief.

"Which I'm really grateful for. Aside from me and her Aunt Lanie, she doesn't have too many females to look up to. So this has been really nice, good for her," she finishes, diverting her eyes to the floor for a second in what he believes is a moment of self-consciousness if the gentle shade of pink on her cheeks is any indication.

"Anytime," he smiles, transferring the last of the dishes into the washer. "I hope Emily's father doesn't mind you being here."

Kate rolls her eyes. "Very smooth, Castle."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I think it's pretty clear Emily's father is not in the picture," she states wryly, waiting for his response with crossed arms, but he lifts his hands in supplication.

"Just making sure. Is there… anyone, at all, in the picture?"

Kate snags the corner of her bottom lip with her teeth, but he can still see the small grin claiming her mouth.

"No, I usually don't have time for dating."

"Oh." He tries not to pout, that would be childish, but he really likes her. He knows he just met her, but he doesn't have the time to date much either and she's the first woman who's hooked his interest in such a long time…

"Unless I really like the guy," she adds, nonchalant as she drains the last sip of her wine and rinses the glass in the sink. "And of course, he also has to earn my kid's approval."

Her eyes slide to his, sly and alight with lighthearted mischief that makes his heart pound with fluttering excitement.

"Have you met any men that fit these requirements lately?" he plays along, keeping his voice light, but purposely brushing his fingers along hers when she hands him her glass to add to the load in the dishwasher.

"There is one," she reveals. "I just met him today actually."

"Really?" he questions with mock curiosity. "Do tell me more."

"Well, he's really smart apparently-"

"Apparently?" he huffs, but she continues as if he hasn't spoken.

"At least I'd hope he is, being a teacher and all. He's also not too bad looking, even kind of charming, if I'm being generous."

"Oh yeah," he deadpans. "You're being really generous."

"And I think there's something worth exploring. A spark." That intriguing shade of gold he saw earlier in the principal's office flickers in the swirling pools of her irises, draws him in a step closer. "And Emily just adores him, he plays fairy princess tea party with her and no man except her grandfather has ever been allowed that privilege."

"Huh. This guy sounds like he could be a pretty good match for you."

Kate leans back against his counter, watching him through the dark hood of her lashes.

"It's possible," she muses. "But he'd have to be patient, willing to take it slow."

"I'm good with slow," he murmurs, close enough to touch her and brushing a soft strand of her hair behind her ear before forcing his hand to return to his side. Taking it slow probably means he shouldn't kiss her in the middle of his kitchen when their daughters are both in the next room.

"Then I think we should ask Alexis how she feels about babysitting sometime in the near future," she suggests with another smile flirting along her lips and he nods his agreement.

"Brilliant idea, Detective."

Emily falls asleep with her head on Alexis' lap, her hair in a braid Castle's daughter must have done for her sometime during their viewing of Aladdin.

"Thank you so much for hanging out with her tonight," Kate whispers, offering his daughter a tight one-armed hug while she keeps Emily on her hip with the other.

"It was my pleasure, I hope we see you guys again soon," Alexis returns, assisting Kate in retrieving her purse from the end table near the door. "Have a nice night."

"You too, good luck with midterms."

Alexis nods her thanks before disappearing towards the stairs.

"I'll be right back, Pumpkin," Castle calls to his daughter as he appears at Kate's side and soundlessly unlocks his front door. "Would you like me to carry my fellow princess to the car?"

Kate swallows her laugh to refrain from waking Emily and carefully transfers her to Rick's broad arms. Emily's steadily becoming too heavy for her, but Castle carries her sleeping daughter as if she's weightless.

They work together to get Emily into the back of her police cruiser once they reach his parking garage, adjusting her in the booster seat without waking her. Kate knows she'll wake before the make it back home, but she'll be in a daze, ready to crawl into her princess style bed as soon as they walk through their front door.

"Thanks for coming tonight," Rick says once the door to the backseat has been eased shut.

Kate smiles up at him – she's smiled so much tonight, her cheeks have actually begun to hurt – in the dimness of the garage, tall enough in her heels that they're only an inch or two apart in height. If she wanted to kiss him, all she would have to do is lean in.

Aside from a few blind dates Lanie's coerced her into, Kate hasn't actually dated in years, hasn't kissed anyone either, and she has never been one to kiss a man on a first date, but she doesn't resist the urge to cup Castle's face in her hands when it comes, doesn't fight the desire to steal the briefest taste of his lips when he leans forward to meet her.

It's soft, delicate and titillating all at once, and she has to stop herself from seeking more, resting her forehead to his before she can abandon her entire concept of taking things slow.

The warmth of Castle's palms on her hips disappears, but his arms coming around her waist is a nice consolation, one she doesn't allow herself to indulge in for more than a few seconds.

"I'm glad I came," she murmurs, dusting one last kiss to his cheek before regretfully disentangling from his embrace and opening her car door.

The engine comes to life and she checks Emily in her rearview mirror, still asleep in her seat, before rolling her window down.

"I'll see you," she promises, feeling butterflies that she thought had long since died raving in her stomach.

"I look forward to it," he grins, that same hopefulness she feels in her chest written across his face. All of her past relationships have always been off in some way, lacking, but this one, even after just barely beginning, feels right, promising. "Drive safe, Kate."

She nods, pulls out of her spot with a demure wave in his direction. It only takes her a little over twenty minutes to drive back to her apartment at this time of night and it doesn't surprise her when Emily awakens halfway through the ride home.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, baby?" she hums, diverting her eyes from the road for a second to meet her daughter's blinking eyes in the mirror.

Emily grins, sleepy but with a trace of playfulness spilling onto her cheeks.

"I knew you had a crush on Mr. Castle."