Here is something light I've been working on. AU meeting of Castle and Beckett. It will be at least a few chapters long and contain fluff and light drama to keep the story going. I hope you enjoy!

*For anyone following Secret Love, I'm still deciding if there will be more chapters or not but will decide soon.

"Dad, I got the job!" Alexis shrieked running into his office where he had been attempting to write for the better half of the day.

"What job honey?"

"At the flower shop, the one across the street."

"Alexis how are you going to find time to work with all your other activities? I could raise your allowance if there is something you need honey."

"Dad, we talked about this remember? I need to gain some real world-real life experience to beef up my college resumes. I need to be well rounded, I won't be able to live off of you forever. Besides it is part-time and the owner, Kate says that she can be flexible with my schedule."

"Ok, it sounds like a great opportunity, just make sure you leave some time in your busy schedule for some fun," he said standing and bringing his daughter close to hug her and kiss the top of her head.

His little girl was growing up. She'd only been seventeen for a few months and she was already looking at colleges and summer internships. And now a job. She was maturing so quickly. He longed for the days spent with her at the park, going down the slide and eating ice cream. She was turning into a woman before his eyes.

"I will Dad, besides, sometimes I think you have enough fun for the both of us. Maybe too much fun," she smirked at him.

"Yeah, well, I'm not today. I'm chained here to the desk until I manage to write something decent enough to submit to Gina," he whined sitting back into his desk chair.

"You just need some new inspiration Dad, you'll find it," she assured him.

Ever since he killed off the main character, Derrick Storm, of his best-selling novels, he was stuck. Dare he say he had dreaded writer's block, something that he would admit to no one other than himself for fear that saying it out loud would confirm it was true. He had been searching for inspiration, and getting himself into some trouble because of it.

He recently went skydiving, looking for a spark the thrill might provide. He took lessons from a professional race car driver and nearly crashed. One time he accidentally joined a parade float after he had a little too much to drink and tried to grab the mic and start singing. He'd ended up sleeping that off in a holding cell at a police precinct downtown. His mother was not happy about bailing him out.

But nothing sparked him. There was no desire to know more, to make a story come alive on the page. It had been six months since he had written anything of substance. Add to the fact that his daughter was so independent now. His life was changing. He was drifting and was maybe a little depressed.

"Well, I hope I find it soon, or your grandmother might need to find an acting job she actually gets paid for."

"You'll find it, I have faith in you," his wise daughter reconfirmed to him kissing him on the cheek before running off to her room.

He opened up his internet search page and typed in: "how to be inspired" as a last ditch effort. Before reading the results, frustrated with himself, he closed the laptop and huffed out of his office.

Alexis had been working at the little flower shop across the street for a few weeks, and had been talking nonstop about how lovely it was. "It's like a little corner of sunshine Dad," she'd said. "You walk in and it is like summer, the floral scents and smell of nature is everywhere. And my boss, Kate is really great Dad. You would like her."

He was glad that this new adventure was going well for her. He wished that something was going better for himself. Gina had threatened to make him return his latest advance if he didn't have a new book started by the end of the month. It wasn't that he needed the money exactly, but it only fueled his sense of failure. And failure did not exactly allow the creative juices to flow.

"Dad, why don't you get out of the house for awhile, go take a walk or something. You're starting to depress me," Alexis stated, worry in her eyes.

"Alexis, I'm fine," he said turning to look at her. Upon seeing her serious expression he said, "OK, pumpkin, I will right now," putting on a smile in an attempt to ease his daughter's concerns.

He started walking out of the building of his loft in the direction of his favorite corner coffee shop. Coffee was always a good idea. Noticing the flower shop Alexis worked at he decided to stop in even though she wasn't on shift today. Maybe some sunshine as Alexis put it would do him some good.

The Wild Flower, a cute little boutique shop came into view and he opened the antique door and a little bell tinged signaling his arrival. He was instantly greeted with the smell of roses and lavender. Lush greenery, eucalyptus maybe, filled industrial style buckets along floor beside the brick counter. Rows of color filled the entire space, including wooden crates affixed to the walls brimming with peonies, lilies, and every other flower he thought imaginable. The place was quaint, not like a chain store, and seemed like a good environment for her daughter's first job.

"I'll be right with you," a voice called from the back room where he saw the profile of a woman with long auburn hair reach for a vase on a shelf high above her head.

"I'm just a little short staffed today," she continued, still not knowing who she was talking to.

She struggled a few seconds more before he called out, "Would you like some help with that?" referring to the vase out of her reach.

"Oh, no that's OK, I'm fine," she replied, finally reaching for an abandoned wooden stool nearby. Reaching her desired object, she walked towards him, smiling.

"Hi, how can I help you?" the woman asked as she subtly took him in, noticing the bright blue of his eyes.

"Oh, well, actually I was just walking by. Um, thought I'd stop in and check out the store. You know, flowers, they are nice, and all," he said stammering through his response.

What is wrong with me? He chided silently. Upon seeing her his tongue had seemed to stop connecting to his brain. Or maybe it was his brain that was the problem or the distraction of the blood coursing rapidly through his veins.

He was instantly taken with this beautiful woman in front of him. She was tall and slender with gorgeous hazel eyes. She could have been a model if she wanted to. A green apron was tied around her waist accentuating her curves and her smile made his insides start to tingle. Wow, he hasn't felt like this in a long time.

"That's OK, take your time, look around. Let me know if there is anything I can help you with," she said meeting his eyes and holding them for a pause longer than normal.

Do I know him? She wondered. He certainly was good looking, handsome in a rugged kind of way, and he had such a bright smile, it made the corners of his eyes crinkle. He seems familiar. She found herself smiling back and momentarily forgot what she had been doing.

"I, um, I'm just going to be here, trying not to fall of that stool, so… just let me know if you need anything," she repeated with a small laugh suddenly feeling a bit flushed.

"Thanks, I will," he responded. He walked around a bit more glancing casually in her direction every now and then as she arranged sunflowers in a vase. Unable to justify his perusal of the shop any longer, he finally picked up a bouquet of lilies and brought them up to the counter.

"All ready?"

"Yeah, thank you. This is a really cute place." he smiled back.

"Thanks, I opened up about a year and a half ago. Nice choice," she said referring to the flowers, "lilies are one of my favorites. Did you want a card for the special someone?" she inquired. Smooth Kate, real smooth.

"The special…" oh, he smiled realizing her meaning, "Well they are for my mother," he made clear, "She got passed over for a part in the play she was auditioning for so I thought these might cheer her up."

"Oh, she's an actress. Well, how about this one then?" she said flipping through a wooden box on the counter and producing a small floral card that said

"A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms."

"Perfect. Thank you…" he trailed off insinuating that she could give her name.

"Kate"

"Kate. That's perfect. I mean the card, it's perfect. Thank you," taking a breath in to compose himself he said, "I'm Rick by the way," he held out his hand to shake hers.

"Nice to meet you, Rick. Maybe we'll see you around here again?"

"Definitely," he said reluctantly letting go of her hand.

"Well, have a good day. I hope your mom enjoys the flowers," she said teeth biting the side of her lip to control the smile breaking through.

"You too, I mean, have a good day too. And, thanks I know she will," he glanced at her one more time before turning to exit the little shop.

He paused on the sidewalk after clearing the shop window to take a breath. Wow, she is just, wow, ran through his head.

He continued on his way to the coffee shop thinking of how soon was too soon to return to see Kate. Would buying flowers everyday be weird?

After he left, Kate noticed the smile lingering on her face. It had been a long time since she felt those butterflies in her stomach. Not since Will. Her almost fiance who had left her to pursue his career four years previous. There had been other suitors since but none had made her feel half of what she just did with this stranger, with Rick. I hope he comes in again.

At home that night, thoughts of the encounter with Rick at her shop were still flashing through her mind. She felt drawn to him for some reason and in the back of her mind she kept thinking she knew him. When she reached for a book to read as she soaked the day away in a bubble bath, it came to her.

Yes, Rick. He was Richard Castle the mystery writer. She turned the book in her hand to the back cover and his smiling face was looking back at her. His eyes were much more impressive in person and though he had aged a few years since the picture had been taken, it was still him. She enjoyed his books, had read almost all of them but it was her mother who had really been the fan. Kate smiled thinking of how happy her mom would be to know that she had met him and he had bought flowers from her shop.

Then she started to remember little news clips, short blips in the gossip section she'd seen about him. He had a reputation as a playboy, signing women's chests at book tours and new girlfriend every other week. He was known to be running around the city doing crazy stunts and recently she thought he had been arrested Great, I'm still attracted to the bad boys.

She shook her head to herself and sunk down into the blissfully warm water. Well, I guess I can forget about him. He just seemed so nice and down to earth in her shop. She opened the book, a Derrick Storm novel and replaced thoughts of Rick with the story unfolding on the pages.

After returning from the coffee shop that afternoon, Rick was attached to his computer. This time it was writing for pleasure that had him sitting there for several solid hours. He didn't normally write anything other than mysteries but all of a sudden lines were pouring out about the beautiful woman from the flower shop. She stirred up feelings inside of him and he took what came to him and wrote. It may never turn into anything publishable but he was writing and he wanted to be. That in and of itself was a victory in his mind.

He hoped Alexis wouldn't mind his newfound interest in her boss. He made a note to talk with her about it before stopping by the flower shop again.

He absolutely wanted to stop in again.