Kate arrives three hours early to the concert hall on the day of the recital, her mind still reeling from the last few days with the Castles, the nights spent with Rick alone, how everything's changed. How easily she's embraced it.

She devotes her time to preparing the dressing room, though, ensuring that there will be enough space for each girl and her mother to prepare.

"Kate!" Beckett lifts her head from her arranging of a clothing rack for the costumes after only fifteen minutes, feels the smile spread to her lips before she can control it at the sight of Alexis bounding through the dressing room doorway, Castle in tow with a garment bag draped over his arm, a large bag of hair products hanging from his shoulder, and a makeup kit in his hand.

"Hey, Lex," Kate chuckles, accepting the embrace Alexis delivers to her waist with a hand smoothing along his daughter's head. "And Castle, I gave you specifics on what to buy, what is-"

"Listen, both hair and makeup products are abundant in range," he states with a glower and Kate subdues her amusement. She's never seen him so frazzled.

"So you bought the entire hair and makeup sections?" she hums, absentmindedly combing her fingers through Alexis's hair, brushed and smooth, but otherwise untouched.

"Don't tease him, Kate. He was a wreck," Alexis whispers and Castle huffs from behind her.

"You're still willing to help with this?" Castle asks, his eyes tired and pleading, and Kate rolls hers, reaches out with her free hand to pat his cheek.

"Of course. Why do you think I told you guys to get here an hour early?"

"You're a godsend," he sighs, turning his head to press a kiss to her palm before moving to hang Alexis's costume on the rack next to Kate and placing the beauty supplies on the nearest table. "And you look stunning, by the way."

Kate ducks her head, the curls of her hair drifting forward to hide the heat spreading to her cheeks, grateful that Alexis has released her to take a seat in front of the vanity.

"Yeah, you look really pretty, Kate. I love your dress!" Alexis compliments with a bright smile.

Castle takes a step forward while Alexis digs through the makeup bag, neatly arranging brushes and foundations on the table before her and Kate flicks her eyes to the man in front of her, draping his broad palm along the bone of her hip, touching his lips to her cheek.

"Me too," he mumbles, the heat of his breath on her skin scorching, sending goosebumps down her spine. The dress was nothing special, a simple black cocktail dress, formal enough for a dance recital without being over the top. But she knew it hugged her curves, the thin straps of the sleeves exposing her collarbones, the slightest glimpse of cleavage.

It was enough for Castle.

Kate squeezes his biceps, returns his kiss to her cheek with a graze of her lips to his mouth before stepping out of his grasp, shooting him a look over her shoulder that promised him he'd be taking it off later, and moving to stand behind Alexis.

"Castle, pay attention. We're going to start with the hair," she announces, gathering Alexis's long, fiery locks in her fingers. "For Alexis's group dance, we're doing a typical bun, but for her solo, half of her hair will be up and half down."

To his credit, Rick pulls up a chair right beside Kate, divides his gaze between the work of her hands and the mirror, studying how she arranges Alexis's hair into the bun, where she places the pins and when she uses the hairspray. She's just began teaching him and Alexis both how to do the girl's makeup when Alexis's fellow classmates start to filter in.

"You're looking gorgeous, Pumpkin," Castle comments from beside her while Kate applies the light shade of blush to Alexis's cheeks, pausing when his daughter grins in the mirror.

The bustle of the room, though, the frenzied mothers hovering around their daughters, has Alexis sitting a little stiffer in her seat, the fingers in her lap twisting and twining with nerves.

"Hey." Kate taps her nose with the tip of the makeup brush, quirks her brow when Alexis swings her gaze away from the other girls and moms, focuses her attention on Kate once more. "Don't worry about anyone else, okay? You know I don't do favorites, but as your teacher, I can honestly say that you're the best I've ever had in my studio," she tells her quietly, watching Alexis's eyes go wide with surprise, with an overwhelming swell of gratitude. "And I know without a doubt that you're going to do so great today."

The smile that breaches her lips is hesitant, shy but brimming along the apples of her cheeks, illuminating her eyes.

"Thanks for being the best teacher ever," Alexis whispers before she takes a deep breath like Kate had always taught her, channeling her newfound confidence and returning her eyes to the mirror and the sweep of the soft brush of color along her cheeks.

Kate grins and sets the makeup tool down. "You make it easy, kid."

Castle's watching her when she plucks the eyeliner from the tabletop, concern in his gaze, unaware of the hushed words she'd exchanged with his daughter, but she shakes her head, can't discuss any of it with him here, in front of Alexis, let alone the rest of her dance team.

"Okay, hold really still for this part," Kate murmurs, tracing the lid of Alexis's eye while Castle studies the procedure in undisguised fascination, slight horror when she has to slowly draw along the waterline.

"That doesn't hurt, Pumpkin?"

"As long as I keep my eyes to the ceiling like Kate told me to, no," she chirps, waiting patiently for Kate to finish.

"Oh, Mr. Castle," Amy's mother greets, sashaying up to their little trio just as Beckett's capped the liner, coated Alexis's lashes in a thin layer of mascara. The other woman sidles up close to Castle while Kate applies the very last touch of Alexis's makeup, stroking a rosy pink lipstick to her mouth, continuing to murmur her instructions to his daughter, trying not to listen to another woman flirt with the man she's… sleeping with. Too soon to call it anything more.

Actually, no, she dismisses that line of thinking with a sharp cut of her gaze to the woman shamelessly flirting with him, because she had told Rick Castle that she loved him three nights ago and her blood begins to simmer when Linda Henderson flips her perfect blonde hair and brushes a manicured set of fingers to Castle's shoulder.

He is hers.

"There's an empty seat right next to me in the audience if you'd like to join me."

Kate bites her bottom lip and closes the lipstick, meets Alexis's sparkling blue eyes as she debates interjecting into the conversation.

"Don't worry, he won't sit with her," his daughter whispers, only loud enough for Kate to catch, and she rolls her eyes at the girl, expels a breath to ease her sudden bout of irritation even as Alexis smirks in return.

"That's very kind of you, Ms. Henderson. But I already have a seat, thank you," Castle returns politely and Alexis arches an eyebrow in a move she must have learned from Kate herself.

"Well, if you change your mind, I'm in row three," Linda Henderson informs him, her red lips spreading in a charming smile that Kate assumes works on most men, but Rick is pointedly looking at her as she straightens from beside Alexis.

Linda walks away and Kate steps towards him, flicks her eyes to his mouth and keeps her voice low. "Damn right you do."

Castle smirks, clasps his hands behind his back to refrain from touching her, gripping her hips and drawing her closer.

"I should probably go head to that seat now, looks like your girls are all about ready to change into costumes."

Kate nods and discretely squeezes his arm. "I'll meet you out there."

"And don't worry, I'll save your seat so you don't have to glare any more daggers into the sides of other women's heads," he teases and her cheeks begin to burn, because of course he had managed to catch that, but the warmth in his gaze tells her he's all too pleased with her silent little display of jealousy, the proof of how much she wants him all for herself, a mere glimpse of how much he means to her. Kate nudges his shoulder and he turns his attention to Alexis then, dropping to his haunches beside her chair. "Break a leg out there, baby bird."

Alexis shifts in her seat to face him, wraps her arms around her father's neck. "Thanks, Dad."

Castle pecks a kiss to the top of his daughter's head and moves to stand once more, start for the door, his fingers clashing with Kate's as he passes by, igniting sparks of embers in her fingertips. She ignores the treacherous butterflies, the incessant want that's grown tenfold, insatiable since that first night, and does her best to put it away for the next couple of hours and properly focus on the group of girls she's spent the last six months training.

The mothers slowly begin to drift out of the room after him, reluctantly leaving their daughters in Kate's hands for a final time, and once she has all six of her students dressed and ready to head backstage, Beckett takes a moment to check in with each one, ensure all are prepared to go and comfortable in their confidence levels.

"Okay girls, I'm going to lead you to the area where you'll be waiting near the curtains, and then I'm going to be in the audience, front row," Kate announces to her troop of jittery dancers. "If anyone needs something, come get me, but otherwise, please wait quietly for your turn. I know you are all going to be amazing."

Nerves mingle with excitement as she holds the dressing room door open, watching each girl file out of the room in a single line down the hall.

"And remember," she adds in a lower tone as they approach the stage area, respectful of the other groups already performing, waiting in the wings and preparing to go on. "Have fun out there."

Her students nod, but before they can completely disappear backstage, the child at the back of the line, Alexis, pauses and turns to her with her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Kate," she whispers, sucking in a shallow breath, and Beckett bends to hear her over the pounding beat of a pop song playing for the group currently on stage. "What if I mess up?"

"Then you mess up," Kate murmurs, giving Alexis's shoulder a gentle squeeze and meeting the petrified blue eyes staring back at her, hoping she can read the reassurance in hers, the conviction. "I'll be proud of you either way and so will your dad. I promise you that. But this is supposed to be fun, Alexis. When you get on that stage, dance up there like you dance with me in the studio."

A ripple of realization brightens the girl's eyes and finally, Kate witnesses the anxiety fall away to anticipation as she nods, smiles up at Kate one last time before she rushes backstage to join the rest of her class.

He spies Kate emerging through the darkness that encases the audience, striding from the door that leads backstage, and Castle's bouncing knee stills at the sight of her, striking him with the overwhelming surge of adoration and desire as she approaches. The loose waves of her hair gleam under the glow of the stage lights that catch her as she passes, her body slim and sinuous, just as gorgeous in that form fitting dress as she is in a sports bra and exercise leggings, and if this were any other event than his daughter's dance recital, he would be finding a dark, secluded place to drag her into right about now.

"You know, I'm hoping to keep this relationship private for at least a few more hours to avoid the accusations of mothers claiming special privilege for the daughter of the guy I'm dating," she murmurs when she takes her seat beside him, inconspicuously glancing around before crossing her legs and hooking her ankle over his calf, the heel of her stiletto a pleasant point of contact against his muscle.

"I'm trying," he whines, covering the bare skin of her knee, stroking her patella with his thumb even as she bats at him with a spare program she must have grabbed along the way. "But you didn't stay last night and it's been nearly 24 hours since I made love to you, haven't even kissed you today-"

"Castle," she huffs, but her lips are trembling with amusement, her eyes glimmering gold in the darkness.

"Plus, that jealousy thing was really hot so I-"

"I'm begging you to shut up."

"I want you to hear you begging for other things," he husks, can't help himself, and oh, that gets to her, has her covering the hand on his knee and squeezing hard.

"Later."

Heat zips like a livewire through his veins, but he forces himself to snap out of it, focus on what's truly important tonight.

"How's Alexis?"

"Terrified of making a mistake," she sighs, loosening her grip on his hand, her palm a soft, pleasant weight over his knuckles. "But I told her that she'll be great. And I know she will, but I also reminded her that even if she does mess up, it doesn't change how proud we are of her."

Castle stares at the profile of her face for a long moment, watching the current dance occurring on stage – tiny little girls dressed as ducks, shaking their bright yellow tail feathers to the beat – and realizes in damn near horror that in the last three days, since everything had been so beautifully changed, he hadn't said it back.

He's so in love with this woman, with her mind and her body, her care and concern for his daughter, and he'd been so sure that he'd spoken the words back to her that first night, but looking at her now, awe spreading like sunlight through his chest, it strikes him that he had yet to say them aloud.

He's breathed them into her skin, traced them against her mouth with his tongue, mumbled them into her hair when they've laid tangled in his bed and half asleep, but never spoken them clearly, never said them with the clarity she deserves.

"Kate-"

"Oh, they're next," she breathes, clutching his hand with anxious excitement spilling through her eyes, tugging her mouth into a proud smile as her class is announced.

"Kate," he says almost urgently, just – needing to say it, needing her to know-

She turns her head to him, her eyebrows arched with impatience, but he holds her gaze as if the rest of the world has gone momentarily still around them, professes the words to her just seconds before his daughter takes the stage.

"I love you too."

She doesn't care if anyone sees her holding his hand throughout the recital, doesn't care if anyone notices the overwhelming pride that leaks into her features when Alexis takes the stage for her solo, if they hear her cheering as loud as Castle does afterwards. Too happy to care about any of it.

There's a brief awards ceremony at the end of the recital, an excuse for the sponsors to hand out a ton of pretty participation trophies, and Kate's class surprises her with the first place award for their age group. Alexis's solo earns her a second place trophy, her small stumble through the middle costing her a few extra points that Kate knows his daughter will agonize over, but for the girl's first solo ever, Beckett feels nothing but proud.

She has to abandon him for a while to congratulate her girls, rewarding each and every one with praise, speaking with each parent about the process of enrolling for classes again in the spring, but once her huddle of six has dwindled down to one red haired girl still in her simple but sparkling white skirt and leotard from her solo, Kate holds her arms out to Alexis Castle and grins when his daughter barrels into her.

"You did so good," Kate whispers, cupping Alexis's beaming face, her swollen cheeks, in her palms. "You were like a pro up there."

Alexis withdraws only a step to stare up at her, her smile unwavering but the slightest flicker of uncertainty appearing in her bright blue eyes. "Even though I messed up my solo?"

"Messed up? Hardly," Kate dismisses with a shake of her head. "For your first time? That was incredible work up there, Alexis."

"Can I keep training?" Alexis inquires, bouncing on her toes. "I loved it up there, Kate. I never want to stop dancing, I want to be like you!"

Oh, and she has to bite her tongue, refrain from fiercely protesting, expressing just how much the idea of Alexis turning out like her terrifies her. She wants so much better for this girl, so much more.

"If you want to keep dancing, I'd be honored to keep teaching you," Kate says instead, laughing as Alexis hugs her again, thin arms tight around her waist, trophy digging into her back and the medal around Alexis's neck pressing against her stomach.

Kate manages to catch the trophy from Alexis's surprised fingers before she's swept up from behind, squealing as Castle spins her around.

"Dad," she giggles, clutching her arms around his neck. "Put me down!"

He complies, but it doesn't stop him from bending to Alexis's height, gushing over her performance and applauding every step he witnessed her take on that stage, causing Alexis's to blush, but it's worth it to see the smile on his daughter's face, to know that Alexis actually feels proud of herself for a change.

"Ready to go out for a fancy dinner to celebrate your winnings?" Castle inquires, standing with a wince as his knees pop, shooting a glare at Kate when she chuckles at him for it, their ongoing joke about his age.

"Yeah!" Alexis exclaims, reaching for his hand, for Kate's next before abruptly pausing, her fingers barely curled around only one of Kate's, and glancing up to her with the question hopeful in her eyes. The same shade of hope echoed in his. "Are you coming with us, Kate?"

She flexes her fingers to properly encase the full set of Alexis's small hand, her gaze ascending to Castle's over his daughter's head. "Where else would I be?"

Kate helped Alexis remove all of her makeup after dinner, dessert, and a trip to a flower shop Castle frequented ("Because the night cannot end without me presenting my two favorite dancers with bouquets of flowers," he'd insisted). She'd brushed the growing length of the girl's hair, sitting behind Alexis on her bed and gently combing through every tangle until Alexis is swaying, her head jerking with the effort of staying awake.

"There," she'd whispered, setting the comb down on the nightstand and running her fingers through Alexis's smooth locks. "All ready for bed."

"Today was the best day," Alexis had sighed sleepily, leaning back against Kate's chest. "I wish it didn't have to end."

"I know, but there will be more," Kate had promised, banding an arm around Alexis to keep her from tilting sideways.

"With all of us?" Alexis had yawned, blinking in an effort to stay awake, losing the fight when Kate began brushing her fingers through the girl's bangs, debating on the right answer, the best answer to give. The truth.

"I'd like to think so," she'd admitted, resting her cheek against the top of Alexis's head, listening to the slowing intake and exhale of breath.

"Good," Alexis had slurred, her body growing heavy in Kate's arm.

"Uh oh, exhaustion's overtaking my prima ballerina," Castle had chuckled, walking through the bedroom doorway with warmth in his smile and affection in his eyes as he'd approached the bed, helped Kate ease Alexis under the covers.

They'd tucked her in together, far too domesticate for what Kate had ever prepared for, but not… wrong, it hadn't felt wrong at all. It'd felt like something she could learn to do on a regular basis, a piece of her new normal.

"Night, Pumpkin. Sweet dreams," Castle had whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead before standing from his daughter's bedside.

"Love you, Daddy," Alexis had mumbled, her eyes remaining closed. "Love you, Kate."

Castle had glanced to her in uncertainty, but she hadn't hesitated to respond in unison with him.

"Love you too."

She'd followed him outside of Alexis's bedroom after that, let Castle take her to his, let him touch every inch of her, undo her piece by piece, remake her in the same instance with the reverence of his hands, the worship of his mouth, the love he expelled with every breath.

Alexis had been right, it'd been the best day, and she hadn't been ready for it to end either, couldn't stop replaying it in her mind. It's how she ends up in his living room hours after he'd finally fallen asleep curled around her, draped in his button down and staring out one of the floor to ceiling windows, studying the sea of city lights glittering below.

"Kate?" he calls, padding out of his office when she turns her head, her lips twitching at the sight, the odd angles where his hair sticks up, the confused, sleepy little boy pout to his lips. "What're you doing up?"

She shrugs, waits for him to join her, and rests her back to the wall of his chest, covers the arms that lace around her waist with her own, holding him there, wishing to stay like this.

It's the first time she's wanted to stay anywhere with anyone for longer than a night.

"Just couldn't sleep," she murmurs, touching her forehead to his jaw.

He hums, grazes his lips to the line of her hair. "Is everything okay?"

"Better than," she affirms, sliding her fingers to fit within the spaces between his, welcoming the pleasant flutter of her heart for once. She embraces it all tonight, lets the silly butterflies and the swell of her heart run wild and free, lets her love for him flourish and bloom through her chest. "I'm… so happy, Castle."

It comes out like a surprise, a statement she hadn't necessarily meant to say aloud, but he sighs his approval of the voiced thought with a kiss to her lips.

"So am I, Kate. More than you know."

Her smile blossoms and she shifts in his arms, turns her back to the glow of the city, the darkness of the sky, and seals the front of her body to his, feels the cadence of his heartbeat, the warmth of his skin beneath the t-shirt he must have tugged on before coming to find her. She'll ridicule herself for all of this in the morning, for the blatant show of vulnerability, the exposure of just how deep she is with this man, this family, but in this moment, all she wants is to savor, to share it with him, ensure that he sees it all.

Because this dance she's found with him, this effortless rhythm they move to and the seamless choreography that comes so naturally, without a single step of practice, is unquestionably the best performance she's ever taken part in. She never wants it to end, never wants the music to stop, not with him.

Kate rises on the tips of her toes to dust a kiss to his lips, traces her tongue to the curve of his smile before she opens her mouth to speak. "Hey Castle?"

His hands drift down her sides in response, fitting them perfectly along her waist, and she cradles the hard lines of his jawbone in her palms, allows her eyes to flutter shut as his forehead lowers to its home against hers, and begins to sway in the moonlight of his living room with his body following along.

"Dance with me."

Anyone else would have looked at her as if she was insane, she's sure of it, but Castle's eyes peel open, lashes tangling with hers, and the clear blue certainty she meets the second she opens hers is all the reassurance she needs to prove that he doesn't, that he comprehends her request with ease.

"Thought you'd never ask."