Okay, so I'm starting a new story. Again. This will be one of two stories that I'm started. The other is called "Missed Moments" and it is another M-rated fic. It should be out soon. Look out for it. This one, though, is an AU in which young single father Castle needs to find a nanny for his young daughter, Alexis, since he has a full schedule with Black Pawn meetings and Book signings and launches. Then he finds Kate Beckett, recent Stanford to Community College transfer trying to pay her loans and working on getting enough credits to make it into the Police Academy. She gets the job as the Castles' nanny to pay off her student loans and begins to fall in love with Castle. In this fic, Castle is 28, Alexis is 5, and I place Kate at around 19 years old. Kate is a new fan to Castle's books, but tries to hide it, afraid that she would seem unprofessional. The rest you have to read.

Disclaimer: I am not Andrew W. Marlowe, nor am I any Associate of ABC so sadly I do not own anything.

Chapter One

"Daddy! Daddy, wake up!" Rick Castle could feel tiny hands on his cheek and opened one eye to see his tiny, blue-eyed and redheaded daughter, standing there, smiling up at him.

"What?" he asked. "Did you have another nightmare?" She'd been having this recurring dream about giant gummy bears coming after her that had frightened her so much that she wouldn't sleep in her own bed or eat any candy at all for two weeks. "I thought they were over."

"They are!" Alexis said, climbing up on the bed, scrambling over him and kneeling behind him. She flopped her body over his and smiled at him. "But you have to get up now! You have the nanny interviews today and it's already ten AM!"

Castle's eyes widened as he looked at the clock; she was right! His first interview was at eleven and it was already a quarter past ten.

Castle practically fell out of bed, landing on his knees on the floor before standing and running into his bathroom. Alexis hopped out of bed after him, making her way back to her own room to get dressed, shaking her head. "You need to learn how to be more punctual, Daddy!" she called over her shoulder. Punctual was one of the new words he'd been teaching her. She was proud to have used it correctly.

Kate was late; very, very late. Her interview was scheduled at half past eleven and it was already 11:29. She raced down the street, swerving between mothers with strollers, businessmen, and street vendors, skidding to a halt in front of 595 Broome Street. She took a second to catch her breath before entering the building.

The elevator was thankfully already on her floor by the time she reached it and it was only a few seconds until she reached the top floor and was knocking on the door of…

"Richard Rodgers," Kate read, reading the newspaper ad in her hand about a single father looking for a nanny for his five-year-old daughter. He was offering five hundred a week, which was great money, considering she would still be able to go to all her classes and she would be a live-in nanny, meaning she wouldn't have to pay ridiculous rent fares or travel too far. She also wouldn't have to live with her father and she felt guilty about being relieved. But she just couldn't take-

"Hello!" Kate almost didn't notice that the door hand opened and a little redheaded girl was standing there, smiling brightly up at her. Kate smiled back, softly.

"Hi there," she greeted, "you must be Alexis, am I right?" The little girl nodded. Kate smiled and offered her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Alexis. My name is Kate."

Alexis took her hand. "Likewise," she said. "Would you like to come in?"

Kate nodded. "Don't mind if I do." Alexis led her into the Loft's stylish living room, where about a dozen other applicants were sitting, covering every surface of the room. Kate tried to find a place to sit but could find none.

Alexis noticed this at once and led her into the adjoining kitchen. "You can sit at the counter with me," she said. Kate thanked her and took a seat next to her at the high counter, where a few papers and some crayons were laid out. Alexis had been drawing when Kate arrived, trying to keep her distance from the other nannies who all spoke to her like she was a baby. Kate didn't do that. She asked her about her drawings and seemed generally interested in what she had to say. Alexis hoped that Kate would be her new nanny rather than any one of the other nannies who treated her like an infant and spoke with funny accents.

Kate kept checking her watch as she talked and drew with Alexis (gaining disapproving looks from her peers). Alexis, ever observant noticed this. "Do you have somewhere to be?" she asked. Kate looked at her, confused.

"No," she said, "why do you ask?"

Alexis shrugged. "You keep looking at your watch like you're going to be late for something, but you're already here."

"Oh, it's just that my interview was supposed to start ten minutes ago; I get pretty nervous when things don't start on time. But I don't have anywhere to be but here." She smiled down at Alexis who beamed back.

Suddenly the door to Castle's office opened. "Thank you so much Mrs. Ungermire, I'll be sure to call you if you get the job. Good bye, now."

"Good bye, Mr. Castle," a bespectacled old lady with a thick Russian accent and a large mole on her chin said, stepping out of the office. "I look fovard to hearing from you."

Castle smiled politely at her. "Alexis, Sweetie, will you get the door for Mrs. Ungermire, please?"

Alexis nodded and hopping down from her stool to open the front door. The old lady thumped her head in a hard pat as she exited. "Thank you, young lady," she said as she left. Alexis pouted and shut the door behind her, praying that that wasn't her new nanny.

Meanwhile, Kate was in shock. That was Richard Castle, bestselling author of some of her favorite crime novels. She loved his books! But she was supposed to be interviewing for a Rick Rodgers…

Kate could have kicked herself right then and there; Richard Castle's given name was Richard Rodgers, like the Broadway theater. She should have known!

"Katherine Beckett?" Castle called out, looking around for the owner of the name, praying it wouldn't be another dinosaur-aged old lady.

Kate cleared her throat before calling out, "Here!" and raising her hand. Castle followed her voice and his eyes widened at the young woman standing in his kitchen, wearing a professional white blouse and gray slacks, and a matching blazer. Her chestnut colored hair was tied into a braid and he could see a few slivers of some bright color in it.

She was absolutely breathtaking and the three inch heels added to her already tall stature. She was standing by Alexis who kept pointing to her and smiling, giving him thumbs up as Kate walked over to him. And he couldn't tell if Kate was blushing or if that was just makeup. He smiled invitingly at her and stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Miss Beckett," he said, giving her his winning smile.

Kate smiled back. "Likewise Mister….did I hear that woman who just left call you Castle, like the writer?" She was successful at making the question sound genuine and not at all like she was a fan and new who he was already.

Castle nodded. "Yes you did," he said. "I couldn't exactly put my real name and address in the papers, lest this place get swamped, you know?" Kate nodded in understanding and shook his hand, before being led into his office, trying her hardest not to fangirl.

When the door to his office was closed, he offered her a seat at the end of his desk and made his way to his own chair, pulling up the resume she'd sent him in response to the ad. "So it says here that you were attending Stanford until just recently, when you transferred to a Community College right here in Manhattan; why is that?"

"Well, a…family emergency just popped up and so I had to move back here. And Community College is pretty cheap and after all the student loans, the inexpensiveness was refreshing, ya know? But I'm studying Criminal Justice right now and I should be able to get into the Academy in a couple years." She was babbling and she knew it, embarrassing herself in front of her favorite writer slash potential boss.

Castle just nodded. "Very interesting," he commented, "the Police Academy, I assume?" Kate nodded and Castle smiled warmly. "I'm sure you'll get in. You look like a smart individual." Kate blushed and Castle went back to scanning her resume. "It also says here that you modeled for a Summer a couple of years ago and you also babysat for a few of your neighbors. Very good. Their recommendations are glowing; they think quite highly of you, Miss Beckett."

"You can call me Kate," she said, softly. Castle nodded.

"Kate, then, you're recommendations are wonderful and my daughter seems to have taken to you as well. I just need to know one thing."

"Anything," Kate said, her heart thumping in her chest.

Castle grinned boyishly, leaning in as if to tell her a secret. Kate found herself leaning in as well.

"When can you start?" he whispered.

So, what do you think? REVIEW!