A/N: This chapter is set shortly after 'Castle, P.I.' (Ep. 7x11)

"So you're a private investigator now?" Jim asked his son-in-law. He had called the loft to speak with Kate. Apparently, she was still on her way home from work, but her husband had wasted no time in engaging Jim in conversation, starting with the announcement of his new career.

"Yes," Rick confirmed. "With the license to prove it, duly issued by the State of New York. I've also rented an office in the Village." Then his voice rose in excitement. "But the definitive proof is that, in the noble tradition of Sherlock Holmes and other great sleuths, I have the classic trappings of a detective – a magnifying glass and a deerstalker hat, graciously provided by your beautiful daughter."

Jim laughed. Of course the props would be the biggest thrill for Rick. "It sounds like a pretty serious operation. Congratulations."

"Thanks. I'm trying to get it off the ground with a little marketing – starting with a website. Listen to this: 'I've spent years making up mysteries while solving real ones with the homicide division of the NYPD. Now I'm ready to put my expertise to work solving your mysteries.' What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me," Jim said, adjusting the phone against his ear. He was enjoying this conversation. "Professional and engaging."

"Thanks – that's exactly what I was going for. And I've been trying to come up with a catchy slogan. I'd appreciate your opinion."

"Sure."

"Well, there's Richard Castle Investigations: Finding the Story behind Your Mystery. Or I could go with the first-letter approach – Richard Castle Investigations: Resourceful, Creative, Insightful. Or maybe even Rugged–" Rick paused. "I don't know, Jim. Somehow I don't think I've nailed the essence of my brand just yet."

Jim shook his head, smiling at Rick's dramatics. "Good attempts, but slogans are never as easy as they appear. Keep trying, son. Good luck."

"Thanks," Rick replied. "Hey, Kate just walked through the door, so I'll hand her the phone. I'll speak to you later, Jim."

"Take care," Jim replied, still bemused by Rick's latest revelation. He had fully expected Rick to take up a new interest after getting kicked out of the 12th Precinct, but starting a private investigation agency was more than just a hobby.

Jim overheard the couple as they exchanged greetings and a kiss, and then his daughter's voice was on the other end of the line. "Hey, Dad."

"Katie, how was your day?"

Kate sighed. "It was… long. No new cases, but endless amounts of paperwork. It's good to be home."

"I can call back later, give you some time to settle in."

"No, I'm fine, Dad. I just collapsed onto the couch. Castle just went to the kitchen to check on dinner. It smells amazing. You know, you're more than welcome to come over and join us."

"Thanks," Jim replied, "but I've already eaten. I just wanted to say hello, see how you're doing. Rick was telling me about his new business venture as a private investigator."

"Yeah," Kate said, "as a matter of fact, we recently worked a case together."

"Even with the ban against him? How did he manage that?"

"Well, picture this. I show up at a crime scene, and the next thing I know, Castle's there. Of course I ask him to back off, because as happy as I am to see him, I know it's a breach of policy that could get us both in a lot of trouble. But then he shows us his P.I. license – which I had no idea he was pursuing, by the way – and he keeps coming up with all these creative ways to get involved with the investigation."

Jim smiled to himself. "Ah, so this whole private investigator thing is really all about Rick trying to spend more time with you." It was a little extreme, perhaps, but Jim knew Rick well enough to know that it was exactly the sort of thing the writer would do to be close to Kate.

"It started out that way," Kate admitted, "but I think it means more than that to him now. He's living out a childhood fantasy, and he's still doing what he used to do with us – finding the story, solving cases, helping people. And he's really good at it, Dad. I have to admit that he beat us to the punch a few times on this last case."

"That must have stung."

"A little. But it was also like old times – you know, the back-and-forth, the competition, theorizing and putting it all together." There was a smile in her voice. "It was a lot of fun." She gave Jim a brief account of the recent case, and how she and Rick had collaborated to solve it.

When she finished, Jim chuckled. "It sounds like you're enjoying Rick's new sideline almost as much as he is."

"Well, I like seeing him so excited. He's like a little kid, and it's sweet. But I hope it works out. It won't be easy for him to find the kind of cases he's interested in."

"I know," Jim said. "I'd love to send some business his way, but I very much doubt that he would be interested in sitting in government offices filling out forms, filing documentation requests and writing up reports. That's about the size of the 'investigative' work that we're dealing with at the moment."

Kate laughed. "Yeah, Castle and boring paperwork… not exactly a match made in heaven."

"I'll let him know if anything comes up that would require his services."

"Thanks, Dad. We'd appreciate that very much."

It took Jim a moment to respond.

"Dad? Are you still there?"

"Yes, it's just… this is a different side of you, Katie. It still takes me aback sometimes."

"What side?"

"The proud, supportive wife."

Kate laughed. "Seriously, Dad? Of course I'm proud of him. And Castle and I have always supported each other."

"I know, but it's… different now." He fumbled for the right words. "You express it so freely now, so naturally." It reminded Jim strongly of Johanna, how she'd been a source of boundless wisdom and encouragement that they could always rely on – and she'd done it all with such warmth and grace.

"Thanks, Dad. Maybe it comes naturally because I have such a proud, supportive husband. It always goes both ways." Then she let out a soft laugh. "Besides, I'm not being entirely unselfish here. Castle isn't the only one that's enjoying the, uh, perks of his new persona as a streetwise private eye."

Jim frowned. He knew how much Kate enjoyed working alongside Rick, but he also knew that her work was miles away from the kind of cases that Rick could realistically look forward to as a private investigator. He hoped she wasn't setting herself up for disappointment. "Katie, I know you've been able to collaborate on one case, but you might not be so lucky in the future."

"I know that, Dad," Kate said, with muted laughter in her voice. "That's not exactly what I was referring to."

Jim was confused. "Then what –"

"Actually," Kate interjected, "you probably don't want to know. Forget I said anything."

Then Jim heard Rick's voice in the background, calling out to Kate: "Beckett, dinner's ready."

"Go ahead, Katie," Jim said. "Enjoy your meal, and the rest of your evening."

"You too, Dad. Thanks for calling."

It wasn't until they'd exchanged farewells and ended their conversation that Jim realized what Kate had been hinting at. And she was right: he most certainly did not want to know. Cringing, he reached swiftly for the TV remote, in search of other images to replace the entirely unwanted ones in his head.

A/N: Yikes, Season 7 of our show is almost over already… just two episodes to go. What were some of your favorite moments of the season? I think I can safely predict one popular choice (speaking of which, congrats to the lovely SK!) Thanks for reading and reviewing.