Chapter 5

Ryan found her. She was sitting at a bus station, a ticket to Jersey tucked in her small hands. "Crap," she muttered when she saw the familiar detective.

"Hey there Cole, making a break for it," He flashed her a big grin that she found absolutely no humour in. Ryan grabbed her bag and she shrugged back at him. There really wasn't any point in continuing her escape. At this point they would just call child services on her.

"Let's get you home, Beckett has been freaking out," Something inside Cole cracked when she heard the words Detective Ryan had muttered. Home was a big one. She hadn't thought of anywhere as 'home' since she had left her grand fathers, and back then she had been too young to really understand the term anyways. The knowledge that her taking off had caused Detective Beckett to worry, hit her equally as hard. People only worried about people they cared about, she didn't remember the last time someone had worried about where she had gone.

"I've got her Beckett; we're on our way to your place." Cole quickened her steps, desperately wanting to hear Detective Beckett's response. She couldn't quite catch it through his phone but she saw him smile and watched him shut it.

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"Thank God," Kate sighed and collapsed into the couch; her head instantly falling into her hands. Castle was beside her in a heartbeat. His hand instinctively reached out to grab a hold of hers and she entwined her fingers in his. She had never imagined she could feel such worry over someone she knew so little of. The moment Castle had said Cole was gone, Kate had felt the loss right down to her core and she couldn't help wondering when the connection to the young girl had slipped in.

Earlier that morning Tina, the social worker had begun to go over what would happen to Cole, should Kate decide to release her to the city. Just the thought of not knowing were Cole would end up, the possibility that she could end up in a house with 6 other kids, all of them struggling with their own issues and adults who had spread themselves just a little too thin. It made her shutter, and she signed the papers without a second thought.

Almost immediately after that she called Esposito, desperate to know if anyone had seen her. Nothing, so she'd called Castle and just the sound of his voice over the phone had been soothing. Eventually she had ended up back at home, with Castle, waiting.

"What have you got there?" He had asked as she'd walked through the front door and tossed the stack of foster care paperwork on the kitchen counter.

Her eye lifted and met his with such an intense bashfulness that it made him physically stumble backwards.

"So, I guess you've got a plan." When his feet were able to move again, he walked over to her and looked down at her familiar signature on the bottom of page after page.

"I wouldn't really call it a plan, more of a necessity. If they can't find her Rick," her voice caught in her throat and he didn't think twice as he pulled her into his arms. She was so tired of being cautious around him, of guarding herself. She didn't want to think about the consequences of falling into him completely. She just wanted to fall, because if she was going to torture herself and examine things, no matter which way she looked at it, she knew, without a doubt, that he would catch her.

"I don't know how it happened. I mean she doesn't even talk to me, how can I feel like this?" She let herself burrow deeper into him, her head resting over his heart.

"Kid's have a way of getting to us, especially kids who've been hurt. It's a very honourable thing you're doing Kate, but it's going to be hard. Being a parent doesn't mean just having her like you," His hands were flat against her back, holding her against him. As delicious as it was to be so close to each other, both of them were so consumed with thoughts of the missing pre-teen that little else was thought about.

Kate chuckled into his chest, "That's rich coming from you," Without looking up from her place beside him she knew he was smiling. "Not my fault that I've got a kid that doesn't ever need to be disciplined." His arms tightened around her shoulders and she sighed into him. She knew he was right, if they ever managed to find Cole, and if this thing was going to work between her and Cole, she was going to have to become a parent; a real parent.

Rick's hand slid from the back of her to cup her chin. He tilted her face up and all of a sudden neither of them could think about anything other than how close they were to each other. "Kate," his voice was soft and unsure, both hands cupping the sides of her face. Her mind flew back to that undercover kiss and she felt a kind of desperation she'd never felt before to have his lips on hers.

"Kate," He sighed again and her breath hitched in her throat as he moved in. He was only a breath away from touching her lips when her phone rang, before he could even register that she was gone he could hear her answering the phone.

"Beckett," He looked up and watched as she paced the carpet in front of the sofa. His hands went through his hair in frustration and unbelieving. He'd been so close to kissing her, to having her lips between his. His mind broke and a snippet of Kate's conversation snuck in. Someone had found Cole.

"Thank you Ryan, we'll see you soon," The line disconnected and she fell onto the sofa a soft thank god slipping past her lips.

She wasn't exactly sure how it happened, but somehow their fingers had intertwined. When she was finally able to look him in the eyes she knew that there was no hiding or avoiding this. Things had been changing between them for awhile, this just confirmed it.

She turned to face him and without letting a single thought cloud her judgement, she leaned in and covered his lips with hers. He didn't startle or freeze up, and he didn't push the kiss into something more than it was. Instead he let his free hand cup her face and hold her to him.

The kiss was above all else tender, and he could feel everything she was feeling as she kept herself pressed up against him. It wasn't until he felt the warm tears hitting his thumb that he pulled back from her. The moment his lips left hers she crumbled into him; her head tucking into the crook of his neck as she cried softly into his shirt.

If someone had stopped to ask her why she was crying, she wouldn't have been able to give them one specific reason. It was a culmination of events, and feelings long overdue.

"You know," she whispered into his neck. "I could really fall in love with you," his breath caught in his chest at her quiet words; and it took all of his will power to remain silent and let her get it out. She let a small laugh escape and then added, "Hell, I'm pretty sure I'm already in love with you."

"Why do I feel like there is a but hiding somewhere around the corner?" He asked, despair filling him.

"You were right before, if I am going to make this work with Cole. I have to focus on Cole," Her words were quiet, fearful. "I don't expect you to wait any longer than..." her words were cut short when he stood from her abruptly. He paced for a second his hands pushing his hari off his face but almost as quickly as he stood he dropped to his knees in front of her. His hands burned a path up and down her thighs as he spoke.

"I would wait forever, and you know that." He looked into her eyes again and she knew he meant it. When had Richard Castle become the only person she could truly lean on, and trust? She didn't know but she was immensely relieved about it.

"Cole is the priority right now, when you're ready to have another priority," He grinned at her, letting a bit of that infamous charm escape, "I will be here," He continued to smile at her and she leaned forward to capture his lips with hers for a second time. This kiss was not soft like the previous one, but it wasn't hard either. It was filled hope of what would come, and it left both of them wishing time could speed up. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck pulling him closer to her, and when she opened her mouth and slipped her tongue between them, he groaned and pulled himself away from her.

"If you want me to be a patient man, you can't kiss me like that," His foreheard falling against hers.

Only a moment later and Beckett's door was being pushed in by Detective Ryan. Cole had her head down as she followed him into the apartment. Castle didn't wait even a second before wrapping the girl in his big arms and lifting her off the ground as he gave her a hug, "You gave us quite a scare there Kid, better not pull something like that again." He dropped a kiss on her cheek shared a smile with Kate and then grabbed his coat.

"Think you could give me a ride home Ryan, I took a cab earlier,"

"Of course," Ryan turned his gaze from Castle to Kate and then back to Cole.

"See yeah tomorrow Cole?" He smiled at her and was the only one in the room who didn't take note of the blush that covered her young cheeks.

Alone in the apartment, Kate once again lost the ability to speak. She didn't know what it was about the kid but she was intimidating as hell; and it took a lot to intimidate Kate Beckett.

"You hungry?" Kate asked. Cole set her backpack down by the front door and they both listened as her stomach grumbled. Kate was the first one to smile and Cole followed quickly after.

"I'll call for a pizza, anything you hate on pizza?"

"Black olives," was the only reply she received but it worked; once she was done she grabbed the paper from the kitchen counter and walked back into the living room. Cole had found a place on the sofa and Kate took the seat opposite her on the coffee table. It was reminiscent of their first meeting; so much had changed since that day.

"You asked me a question this morning," Kate began, she saw Cole adjust herself on the couch, obviously uncomfortable with the discussion. "You threw me for a loop this morning Cole, and if your aim was to get an honest opinion from me, here it is. I don't know what I am doing, I have never had to take care of anyone other than myself, and for years I haven't had to rely on anyone either. So I just can't tell you what is going to happen, because I don't know."

"What I do know is that when they told me you had taken off today, it terrified me. I can't explain it because I don't really understand it but I feel this need to protect you, to keep you safe." Cole was about to interrupt but Kate stopped her, "I know that you think you don't need it. I also know that to you it might feel like pity, but it isn't. You've been through one hell of a life for someone so young but you have an opportunity to change it, right now." Kate picked up the stack of papers from the coffee table and gave them to Cole.

"I spoke with child services today, and they've given me custody of you. That means, if you want, you can stay." Cole's eyes widened in shock, her tiny fingers white with a death grip on the papers she was holding. Kate could see the struggle within the girl, to keep quiet and listen, to believe what Kate was telling her, to hope.

"I want you to stay; I want you to be happy here. Social services will not let you stay with me if you run away again. So if this is something you want, or even something you can live with, you can never ever pull a stunt like the one you did today." Kate could feel the tone in her voice hardening and she knew just how scary she could be when she wanted to, so she forced herself to take a deep breath.

"What do you want Cole?" Kate looked the girl right in the eyes and for a second thought she might say no. Say that she didn't want what Kate was offering, that she could make it on her own. When she finally spoke her voice was tiny, weak and hoarse, "I want to stay."

Kate let the relief flood out of her, as she visibly relaxed on the coffee table. "Good," the word slipped from her quietly and they both smiled.

Cole could not have been able to explain the way she was feeling. It was purely unexplainable, and it was divine. She had to fight to keep from crying as Kate spoke to her, she had to fight even harder to keep from launching herself at the detective with a vice like grip. It wasn't until Kate had joined her on the couch that she realized she was still clutching the papers.

"There are going to be rules, just so you know." Kate said out of the corner of her mouth, turning on the tv at the same time. Just the possibility of rules excited Cole.

"Do you even know how to make rules?" Cole attempted to keep her face straight. Inwardly she was ecstatic at the changes her life had taken, but she wasn't quite ready to let anyone else know that. As much as she liked the detective there was always the possibility that she would change her mind. In Cole's experience people frequently changed their minds.

"I'll make them as I think of them, oh and I'd like you to consider changing schools. I know that there are only a couple months left in the school year but you have a couple more years until you're in High School so why not make a fresh start." Cole could hear the hesitation in Kate's voice, new that Kate was nervous about overstepping trying to change too much.

"Honestly, there is almost nothing I'd like more than to change schools. As long as I don't have to wear a uniform," Cole shot back.

"Alexis wears a uniform and she doesn't mind it," Kate shot out, she of course had never had to wear a uniform but she didn't get what the big deal was.

"Who is Alexis?"

"Castle's daughter, you'll get to meet her and I'm sure you will like her. I don't know anyone who doesn't like Alexis," Kate's words were spoken with such fondness that for a moment Cole felt jealousy sweep through her. She pushed it away as quickly as it had come and nodded.

"Maybe I'll take a personal day tomorrow and we can go look at some schools, would that be okay with you?" Kate's voice was once again hesitant and Cole couldn't help wondering if the detective was as nervous about this situation as she was.

When Kate went to bed that night, she couldn't believe only one day had passed since Esposito's call had woken her that morning. The day had been long and emotionally draining but as she thought about Cole in the other bedroom, she couldn't help thinking that it hadn't been all bad.

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A/N – I had a couple options to make this fic a whole lot more angst-y than it already is and decided against it. Most of the intense stuff is pretty much done. From here on out its going to be about Kate and Cole figuring out how they work together, and about Kate and Rick letting what's Bound to be, be.

Thanks everyone!