A/N I got an awesome prompt on tumblr for this!Kate is a new single mother, a teenager, living in an apartment complex with her newborn. Castle lives on her floor and has heard this newborn crying at all hours, distracting him from his cramming for midterms. One night, he hears the baby crying again. stepping outside in a fit of rage, Castle is about to yell at whoever is the parent until he spots Kate, pacing the hallway with the child in her arms. He helps her get the baby to sleep and becomes a baby whisperer, and they fall for each other. I hope you all enjoy this!

Richard Castle ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, and covered his ears, finding the efforts futile, as he could still hear the screaming infant down the hall. He glanced at the clock, the red letters reading 12:37, and sighed, looking again down the hallway, suddenly thankful that Alexis slept like a log. He had been through this before, and he felt for the parents of that poor baby, but it didn't mean that he wanted to listen to it cry all night long. That, and he was two chapters behind on his next novel, which wasn't entirely strange, but he kind of wanted to avoid an extra-long ass-chewing, and actually spend time with his daughter tomorrow. And the landlord was no help, just dismissed his complaint with a wave of his hand, chastising him because "I can't make the baby stop crying, what do you expect me to do?"

The crying quieted to a whimper, and Rick grinned slightly and began typing again. But when the crying started again, this time, louder, he finally decided he'd had enough. He opened the door to his apartment, surprised to find that he didn't have to look far to find the source of the noise. A young woman, just barely twenty, was pacing the hallway with her screaming baby, who was much younger than he had originally guessed. The woman's chestnut locks were tangled, and her eyes had dark bags under them, much like most new parents. He could also see evidence of her makeup running, and he could feel his anger dissipate as he watched her pace with the baby, desperation in her voice as she tried to soothe it. "Oh, little bean, what did I do?" She spoke softly, swaying back and forth. When she turned, her hazel eyes met his, and she brought her hand to her head. "I'm so sorry. It's just, when I get her anywhere close to her crib, she freaks out more, and she's actually quieter out here, and I know it's late I just really want to get her to sleep, and I have no clue what I am doing." The words fell out of her mouth quickly, but quietly, so she wouldn't further upset her daughter.

Rick didn't respond right away. He had come out here to yell at her, and now he just felt bad. "Uh, no worries. I've been there, it gets better as they get older." He offered. He pointed toward his apartment, where Alexis was sleeping soundly. "Mine is five now. I promise, this will fly by."

The woman nodded. "Yes, the redhead. She's a cutie." The baby's cries started to pick up again, and the woman sounded on the verge of tears.

Rick stepped forward, against his better judgment. "You seem tense. What about her father, could he step in and help so you can sit down and cool off?" He suggested. He just wanted the crying to stop.

She let out a silent chuckle and shook her head. "Nope. It's just me." She answered, slowly swaying her body back and forth, clutching the girl close to her chest.

Rick sighed, and scratched the back of his head. "You know, they can sense when you're tense, right?" He offered the knowledge to her, hoping that she had someone, anyone who could help her out.

"Well, I'm screwed then. It's just me." She rested her head against the baby's, closing her eyes as she continued to rock. "Just me and Carrie Jo."

Rick resisted the urge to touch the woman, he wanted to offer her some sort of comfort, but was afraid it would seem too weird. "Okay, so why don't I take her for a bit." The words fell out of his mouth before he could think about them, and he could see her retreating slowly, her eyes locked on his. "No! I mean, I'm sorry." He took a breath before continuing, slowing his thoughts. "You can sit in my apartment, I really don't want to leave Alexis alone. I'll stay right outside the door, you can keep the door open and watch me if you want. But you need a minute, and I'm good with babies."

She glanced down at the crying infant in her arms, and back at him. "I couldn't do that, I don't even know you..."

"I'm Rick, I live across the hall, and I have a pretty amazing daughter named Alexis." He summarized, holding his arms out tentatively for the ailing infant.

She flashed him a small smile. "Hi, Rick. I'm Kate, a student, and this is my incredibly loud daughter Carolyn." She brushed her finger along the girl's face softly, wiping the tears from her cheeks before passing her to Rick. "You'll stand right outside the door. I may be exhausted, but I won't hesitate to chase you down if I have to." She assured him, and he didn't doubt it for a second. He saw the fire that burned in her eyes, her inner mama bear sneaking out, and Rick was instantly drawn to her again, admiring the drive in her that he never saw in Meredith toward Alexis.

He nestled the baby, supporting her head, and using his free hand to open his door. "I don't doubt it for a second. Have some water, lay on the couch, just relax for a second. We'll be fine." He watched her enter his apartment and close the door behind her, and he continued to rock with little Carolyn, murmuring to her softly. She scrunched her eyes up, screaming just as loud, her hands balled in little fists. But Rick stayed calm, wiping away her tears. "Oh, little one," he soothed, "you have got nothing on my Alexis. Have you heard about the tempers of redheads yet? Trust me, one day you will learn." He chuckled quietly to himself, and marveled as she began to relax. "Why don't you do this for your mama? She looks so tired little one, she needs to sleep too you know." She had stopped screaming, quieting to a whimper, and he caught a glance for the first time at her chocolate brown eyes, beautiful and curious, exploring his face as he talked to her. "She's got it rough, you know. Single mom, she's young, but she loves you, little one. Trust me, I could see it in her eyes, she has so much love for you." Her eyes had closed, and her arms were limp, and he breathed a sigh of relief because she was finally asleep. He turned back to his apartment, opening the door, and slowly walking in.

Kate wasn't laying down, but she was leaning against a pillow on the couch, her eyes closed as she cried silently. She looked up when she heard footsteps, wiping her eyes and staring at him. "You got her to sleep?" She asked, incredulously.

"Yeah, I think she just tired herself out." He answered, feeling the warm body in his arms shift slightly. He watched her, his heart skipping a beat, and braced himself for her wail, but she just turned her head, letting out a content sigh. Rick looked back toward Kate, grinning at her. "She's beautiful you know, just like her Mom."

Kate blushed, and brushed hair out of her face. "Thanks. I think she's pretty great." She answered quietly. He wanted to ask her why she had been crying, reassure her that everything was fine, but decided against it. They had just met, and he didn't need to pry any more than he already had. She got up and walked over to him, gently lifting her daughter out of his arms. "Thank you, for helping, and for giving me a second to cool off." She whispered to him, stroking Carolyn's hair softly and gazing at her sweetly sleeping baby.

"Anytime." He answered back. She turned to leave, and he followed close behind, ready to open the door for her. "Can I ask something? How old is she?" He had tried to ignore the question, but he asked anyway, once again digging into her life, where he didn't belong. But something about her had piqued his interest, and he felt like he couldn't stop himself.

Kate turned her head slightly to whisper back to him. "Almost a month. Why?"

He touched her shoulder and she stopped, turning towards him. "You haven't had a night off in almost a month?" She shook her head in response, afraid to speak out loud. "That's insane, Kate. You need a night off. Without it, you'll just grow to resent her. And you have absolutely no help? Your parents, some friends, anyone?"

She shook her head again. "Nope. My Mom is gone, my Dad may as well be gone, and my friends are young, would rather party than be up all night with a baby." She answered softly. She looked down again at the sleeping baby in her arms. "But you're wrong about one thing." She looked back up at him, her eyes shining. "I'll never resent my little bean." She flashed a small smile in his direction again, and walked toward the door. "Goodnight, Rick. Thanks again." With that, she left, Rick watching her from his door until she disappeared behind hers.

The next morning, Carrie was laying on her mat, looking at herself in the mirror above her head, and kicking her feet at the piano at the bottom of her mat. And Kate was cooing over her, laughing at the sounds she made each time she played a different note. "Great job, Carrie Jo!" She enthused, completely amazed at how high pitched her voice could get, how natural it seemed. She had always thought it would be embarrassing, but she found it so easy, and she didn't care what other people thought. And she had never been a baby person, but her baby, her little bean, was the most important thing in the world to her, and the reason for her to fight for a better life. She stroked Carrie's hair and smiled down at her. "Whatchu doing baby girl?" Kate asked, and Carrie cooed back at her. Kate smiled at that. "Oh, you like talkin to your mama, huh?"

As Carrie cooed again, she heard the rustling of papers being shoved under her door and feet scurrying away. She walked over to the door, and smiled at the gift she had received. It was covered in glitter, and had been colored all over with different color markers. She picked it up, and read the words printed on the top. Good for two free nights of babysitting! Must give at least two days' notice, but other than that, there are no rules! Expiration date: never. To redeem, knock on the door of apartment 6B, and inquire within. From, the Castles.

She wanted to smack herself. She knew the handsome man looked familiar, but she had no clue that he was Richard Castle, the famous author. The author her mother had introduced her to. She knew he lived in her building, but had no idea he lived that close to her. She silently chastised herself for bothering him, knowing he is busy. She say back down next to her baby, still holding the certificate that he and his daughter had decorated for her.

It was while she looked at it that she realized that he was just like her. He was a single parent, with an incredible daughter, who loved doing the little things with her. Which, of course, included helping her glue glitter to every inch of this paper before sliding it under her door. He got her, more than anyone else, and he was trying to help her out.

She lifted Carrie and hugged her close to her chest. "Come on, bean, we're going to say 'hello' to our new friends, okay?" Carrie looked up at her and cooed, her brown eyes looking directly into Kate's. She grabbed her keys off the counter and left her apartment, locking her door behind her, and marched across the hallway, knocking on the door of 6B.

Rick answered quickly, his face breaking into a huge grin when he saw them both. "You two look so much better after a good night's sleep." He teased, moving aside and inviting them in.

"Yeah, well we have you to thank for that." Kate answered, smiling back at him. She took a seat on the couch and shifted Carrie, laying her back against Kate's chest she could inspect her surroundings. "She's a lot more agreeable when she's not screaming." Kate said, bouncing the infant slightly in her lap.

Rick nodded in agreement, kneeling down in front of Kate and Carrie, playing with the baby's feet. "Hey, little one! Remember me?" He cooed, and Carrie smiled. He grinned back at her, sticking out his tongue and making a silly face, and Kate felt her cheeks warm as she beamed, loving the way he interacted with her daughter.

Kate almost didn't see the redhead appear. She was quiet, her hair in braids, and her blue eyes watching the baby in Kate's lap. Kate waved at her and smiled sweetly. "Hi! Thank you so much for my pretty picture!"

The girl beamed. "Thanks! I like making art projects!" She moved a little closer, watching the baby closely. "What's her name?" She asked quietly, eventually kneeling down next to her father, who was watching the exchange with amusement in his eyes.

"Well, it depends." Kate started. "Her name is Carolyn. I call her Carrie, Carrie Jo, and little bean. And one day, when she gets older, I can yell at her and use her full name. Carolyn Johanna Beckett!" Kate attempted her best angry-mom voice as she barked out her daughter's full name, and Alexis laughed at the effort. Kate rolled her eyes and looked at Rick. "I guess I need to work on that."

He chuckled and nodded his head. "Yeah, but don't worry, it comes naturally." He patted his daughter's head. "I actually have to go to a meeting with my publisher, did you need something?"

Kate shook her head. "Nope! We wanted to say thanks for the note, and say hi, and let you know that it goes both ways, seriously. My door is always open to you both." She stood, nestling Carrie in the crook of her elbow, picking up the baby's arm and making her wave. "Say 'goodbye' to Mr. Castle and Alexis, Carrie Jo!" Alexis liked that, waving back. Kate looked toward Rick again, their eyes locking. "See you soon?"

He nodded. "Of course. Enjoy your day, Kate." She smiled brilliantly at him and left, leaving him to get ready for his meeting. She finally felt hopeful, because she suddenly didn't feel so alone.