She's been to the loft enough times in the past few months to be familiar with it, but she's never spent much time inside despite Castle's ample requests. Way too dangerous of a temptation. But it feels different now, standing outside his door, here to retrieve him for a date.

Kate knocks on the door before her nerves can get the better of her.

She's pleasantly surprised by the sound of skipping feet approaching on the other side, her heart easing at the idea of seeing the little girl she may be just a little too attached to. The girl and her father both, if she's being honest with herself.

The door creaks open and Kate's apprehension is immediately soothed by the greeting of Alexis Castle's toothy grin.

"Hi, Kate!" Alexis smiles, holding the door open wide and sweeping her eyes over Beckett from head to toe. "You look so pretty!"

"Oh, thanks," Kate chuckles, smoothing a hand along the hem of her sweater. She debated on the idea of dressing up for him, taking him somewhere upscale and expensive, but he sees her done up in dresses and too much makeup all too often these days. It's either that or in her usual police uniform, which he seems equally appreciative of.

There will be times in the future for fancy dinners and pretty dresses, she's allowed herself to believe, but for tonight, she just wants it to be simple, easy. To just be them.

"And Dad will be so relieved," Alexis adds with a hint of amusement that has Kate arching an eyebrow.

"He will?"

Alexis nods emphatically. "He was really stressed trying to pick out the perfect outfit earlier."

A laugh bubbles from Kate's lips, loud and bright and drawing him out from what she assumes is his bedroom.

"Hey, you're here," he smiles automatically, the corners of his eyes crinkling with it as he strides through the office doorway.

"Hey," she replies, sweeping her gaze over his frame. "Good look, Castle."

"Oh, thank y-" He cuts his eyes to Alexis, sighs as his daughter starts to giggle and causes Kate to relapse into laughter. "You just had to tell her, didn't you?"

"I was just saying how much you care about looking nice for her!" Alexis defends, turning towards her father with that broad smile still in place and her arms open to wrap around him. "And," she adds a little quieter. "You made the right choice. Look how big she's smiling."

Castle's eyes flicker up to Kate, catching the softening grin on her lips before she can tamp it down.

"Thanks, Alexis," he murmurs, cupping the back of her head. "Gram is still upstairs, right?"

"Yep! But she already took off her makeup so we can do beauty masks, so she said she isn't coming down until you leave," Alexis informs him, glancing back to Kate over her shoulder. "And she told me to tell you both to have a good time and don't do anything she wouldn't do."

"Of course," Castle sighs, bending to press a kiss to the top of his daughter's head. "In that case, we're off for the night. But if you need anything-"

"Gram and I will be fine, Dad," Alexis insists, pushing him along while Kate remains in the doorway, watching the exchange with something warm blooming in her chest.

Seeing the stark contrast in how Richard Castle interacts with his daughter compared to the rest of the world was the first thing to convince her that this isn't the same playboy who was once plastered across Page Six. His priorities aren't the fame or the money. No, he's just a man with a vulnerable heart that's dedicated to the small circle of those he loves, a heart he protects more than he lets on.

It makes her wonder how often his heart has been broken, why he's so willing to risk it happening all over again with her.

"I love you," he's calling back over his shoulder once Alexis abandons him for the stairs. She stops on the first step to reply.

"Love you too, Dad. See you later, Kate."

Kate shoots her a smile, a wave of her fingers. "See you, Lex."

"Lex," he sighs as his daughter continues her trek up the stairs, leaving them downstairs, alone for the first time. "Too mature for her."

"She likes having a nickname," Kate defends, feeling her heart skip anxiously as he approaches. He does look good in plaid, she notes, the subtle combination of reds and greys blending nicely over his chest. He looks warm and inviting, makes her want to curl up against him.

The date hasn't even started yet.

"So, what is it you have planned for me this evening, Officer?" he picks up, joining her in the doorway. His eyes stray to flutter over her once more, so alight and... happy, so genuinely and brilliantly happy. If she can make him look like that, maybe it's all worth it - the risks, the potential for heartache, the fights they're destined to have. Maybe it's always been worth it to love him without inhibition or fear, to let him love her back. "You really do look beautiful, by the way."

Kate sighs, reaching for the lapel of his shirt and tugging him towards her. His brow arches at the touch, the draw of his body towards hers, into hers, but she doesn't have the patience to explain, to wait anymore.

"Beckett," he murmurs, poised directly in front of her. Those bright eyes scan her face in question, a hint of concern, before they dip to her mouth.

With her heels giving her a few extra inches, the tilt of her head is all it takes to brush her nose along his cheek, skim her lips along his jaw.

His breath catches, but he leans into her, forehead grazing hers in a kiss. "Kate?"

"I've been waiting for months," she mumbles, all she needs to say for him to stop talking.

Her palm drapes at his cheek, initiating the curve of his hand at her waist. It's the first time she's felt the heat of his touch searing through her clothes, infiltrating the flesh beneath; it has her dizzy, swaying through the breath of distance left between them. Her lips whisper over his and her heart stops and starts again in a way that makes every risk feel so infinitely worth it.

His kiss is gentle, a tentative caress that has her heart skipping before he slides a hand into her hair, cradles her skull and fits his mouth against hers with purpose. Castle doesn't push, letting her lead, keeping it soft and on the surface despite the brush of her tongue along the seam of his lips.

She wants more of him, all of him, and kissing him only confirms it for her.

Kate curls her fingers at his ear, stroking her thumb along the shell, and lowers her forehead back to rest against his. This wasn't the plan - not that she necessarily had a plan, but kissing him before they even left the loft never would have been part of it - but she doesn't regret it, not when she can feel his heart thundering beneath the hand she's allowed to fall against his chest. Not when she's been denying herself the guilty pleasure of kissing him for the last three months.

"That was amazing," he breathes, drawing his hands down her sides. "Can we do it again?"

Kate rolls her eyes, feeling his smile blossom against hers, but nods. "After."

"This is already the best first date ever," he sighs, wistful as he eases back to see her. "Do you even want to go out? We could just stay here, make out all night on my couch-"

"Castle," she huffs, shoving on his chest, but it does little to dissolve his smile. "We actually need to get going if we want to make the movie."

"Ooh, we're going to see a movie?" He snags his keys from a table beside the door, ushers her out into the hall so he can lock it.

"They're playing Forbidden Planet at the Angelika-"

His gasp nearly startles her, stops them short in his hallway. "You're a fan of Forbidden Planet?"

"It's only one of the best movies of all time," she shrugs, watching his excitement grow. He looks like he may combust at any second.

"Best date. Best kiss. Best girlfriend-"

"I am not your girlfriend," she mutters, but he's catching her hand as they start down the hall, wiggling his fingers through hers with ease.

"Partner then," he muses, bumping her thigh with their tangled hands.

But the word rings true, sums him up well, and has her heart buzzing with promise. Kate fits her palm a little more snugly against his.

"Partners."