Kate Beckett's POV
When class for the day was over for the six year olds I went to their class and waited outside their classroom. I was waiting for a specific redhead to come out but to my surprise she wasn't one of the first ones who came out. I tried to smile towards the kids coming out of the classroom as some of them looked at me with wonder in their big eyes. When the kids stopped coming out I looked around and saw all the kids leaving the corridor. I couldn't see Alexis anywhere, and for some unknown reason I started to get afraid. I didn't know why but I started to feel this worry that something had happened to her, maybe she ran away when I sent her away from my office! I was on my way to start running towards my office to see if my stuff had heard something when I heard a small voice inside the classroom. I quickly turned around and looked inside. I saw Alexis raise from her seat and walking slowly towards the substitute teacher they had had for today. I watched her as I saw her bow her head when she was in front of mr Ryan, who had been their subsitute teacher, and what I heard shocked me.
"I'm sorry for the prank mr Ryan, I promise not to do it again. I didn't know better, I thought it was going to be a fun thing, but I realized I was stupid, it made you look bad, so I'm sorry" she said with the most mature voice I had ever heard a girl her young age use.
Mr Ryan, who happened to still be blue in his face, just smiled at the girl and clapped her arm.
"Apology accepted" he said and I saw her face lit up.
"Thank you" she said before she hugged him and walked towards the door, where I still stood looking at her. "See you tomorrow!" she shouted happily as she walked out the door.
She saw me and I saw some fright in her eyes before she turned away from me and walked to her the place where she kept her bag, her jacket and her shoes. I swallowed the lump I got in my throat from seeing her eyes and walked towards her.
"You know, that was very brave of you, what you did in there" I said as gently as I could and nodded towards her classroom.
She shrugged her shoulders and pulled on her jacket.
"Did your father tell you to do that?" I asked and she looked at me like I just said something stupid.
"You really think dad would tell me to do that? He's too childish to even do that himself" she said and I widened my eyes.
I bit my lip, so he was childish.
"And how does that work at home? Are there anyone else living with you?" I asked carefully.
For some unknown reason I wanted to know more about this girl and her father. I didn't know why but maybe it was because I was scared for the girl's sake, how she had it at home.
"I know what you mean, but it's great, I love that he takes time to play with me. And gram lives with us at the moment. Dad wasn't too happy about her moving in but she didn't have anywhere else to live so he had to let her in" she closed her jacket and then she looked down at her shoes.
She let go of a sigh and sat down on the bench before she pulled on her shoes and started tangle with the laces. I saw her trying to make a knot over and over again before she sighed again and gave up.
"You want help?" I asked carefully and she looked up at me.
She was quiet for a few minutes and looked at me, I could tell she was trying to figure out if she should let me or not.
"Okay" she said at last and I smiled as I bent down to sit on one of my knees before I held up her laces.
I did it slowly so she could learn and at the same time I said the same thing my mom used to say to me.
"Over, under, around and through, meet mr Bunny Rabbit, pull and through" I said with a smile on my lips as I remembered all the times my mom had tried to teach me with that poem.
The little girl giggled and my smile widened. I did the same with the second foot and then I looked at her in her eyes. She had beautiful blue eyes, they were blue like the ocean and without permission a thought circled around my head.
"I wonder if her father has the same eye color" was the thought and I cut it off the second it started repeating itself.
"Thank you principal Beckett" Alexis said and jumped down just to put her small hands around me.
I was a bit taken back by her sudden contact but I hugged her back and for some reason I felt relieved that she accepted me.
"Call me Kate" I said and I felt her nodding against my shoulder.
"Well, well, well, the principal is going soft" I heard a smug voice from behind and when I pulled away from Alexis to look at the man the voice belong to, I saw none other than Richard Castle in front of me.
"No, I'm not" I denied and he just smirked at me.
That's when I saw it. The answer to the question I'd had before. He did have ocean blue eyes and for a moment I drowned in them.
"Daddy!" Alexis exclaimed and ran to him.
He immediately picked her up in his arms and smiled brightly at her.
"How did it go today pumpkin?" he asked and I tried not to smile at the cute nickname.
"It was good, and I promise to never prank the teacher again" she said and mr Castle smiled.
"I know you won't sweetie, and that's why there's a surprise waiting for you in the car" he said and I raised my eyebrow.
"Is it candy?" she asked excitedly and since she didn't look at me I rolled my eyes.
Of course he got her candy. What else could it have been? I sighed silently so they wouldn't notice.
"You can eat it in the car" he said and this time I wasn't able to keep my sigh quiet and mr Castle looked at me with a smirk, as if he was telling me to wait for it.
"But dad, it's not friday yet!" she said and giggled. "How about we eat popcorn to a movie tonight and tomorrow, since it's friday, we split the candy?" she asked in a sweet voice and I glanced at her surprised.
"You're a taugh dealer but okay, pumpkin" mr Castle said and kissed the girl's cheek. "You go to the car, I'll be right there" he said and put her down.
"Okay, daddy, bye Kate!" Alexis called as she started walking away. "Thanks with the shoe laces" she added before she got out of the door.
Mr Castle looked at me and I felt a blush on my cheeks but ignored it while holding my head high.
"What?" I questioned and he smiled at me.
"Her shoe laces?" he asked me as his smile widened.
"Yeah, she needed help, so I helped her" I said and turned around to walk away.
"Wait!" mr Castle exclaimed and I stopped and only turned my head so I could look at him.
He looked a bit shy so I turned a little more just to see his now blushing cheeks. I had to contain myself not to laugh at him, or even smile.
"Ehm..." he said and I raise one of my eyebrows once again.
I could see him swallow before he opened his mouth again to speak.
"You wanna go out sometime, grab a coffee?" he asked and I turned fully to look at him.
I was surprised by his question and a bit taken back so I also surprised myself by saying a simple 'sure' before I straightened and walked down the corridor towards my office. I could feel him watching me as I walked and I had to keep myself from turning around. Once I couldn't resist anymore the door just closed after him. I bit my lip before I walked my way to my office. I had no idea why I had agreed to meeting him outside of school. And I didn't know why I felt so weird every time I was around him. He seemed to take me off my guard a little too often, and that never happened. Not even with many of my friends. I sighed and once I had sat down in my chair behind my desk I heard a knock on my door. At first I thought it might be mr Castle and for some reason I was kind of hoping it would be.
"Come in!" I called out and when the door opened I felt a little disappointed at the same time as I felt relieved. "Ryan, co-workers or friends?" I asked and he smiled.
"I was hoping a little of both" he said and sat down in the chair on the other side of my desk.
"What did you wanna talk about Kevin?" I say putting away my papers.
"Alexis apologized to me and I thought you should know it" he said and I nodded.
"I know, I saw it, and you still got a little blue right there" I said pointing to my eye.
He furrowed his brows before he took out his phone and checked in his camera. I gave him some papers and he thanked me before taking it and whiping off the blue color.
"Ryan, how would you feel like being their teacher for real? Mrs Gordon called earlier today and she won't be back, she's found a job in the town she lives in which suits her better. She asked if I had someone to take over for her and if you want the job it's yours" I explained and Ryan looked at me with surprised eyes.
"You serious?" he asked and I nodded. "Of course I want to! I get to work with three of my best friends since high school! Thank you Kate" he said and I smiled.
"No need thanking Kevin, I know you will do a great job, and I know both you and Javi could have some classes together, I know you two work good together with kids" I said and his face broke into a bigger smile than before.
I took out some new papers and handed them to him.
"You'll need to fill these out and then it's done, you're here to stay" I said and he thanked me again.
He raised but before he got out the door he said 'oh' and turned around in the opening.
"I talked to Lanie earlier and she told me to ask you, no, demand you to go to her apartment tonight" he said and I nodded in agreement.
We said bye and he walked out. I bit my lip thinking about meeting Lanie later after the day I'd had. She might be my best friend but I didn't want her to know about mr Castle, and I knew for sure she would somehow manage to make me talk about it. She would sense something was bothering me and she would bug me until I spit it out. She always tried to set me up with guys and she had ever since my mom got killed by that contract killer the senator had hired. I looked at the clock and sighed, started packing my things before I took my jacket and began the walk towards my best friend's apartment.