"Rick," Kate's voice shouted back.
"Yes Kate?" He turned around the face her, concern clear on his face.
She paused and looked down, twisting her hands together. She took a deep breath and looked back up at him.
"I lied, I'm sorry",
He tilted his head and took a small step towards her, "You lied about what?"
"I don't have anywhere to go, they kicked me out of my apartment. I don't have anybody." She said, her voice breaking, "Everybody has turned their back on me."
He took another step forward and she instinctively wanted to run, but something was keeping here. She didn't know what it was about this man that made her want to tell the truth, stay put and let him help her.
"What happened to your home? Your family?" He asked.
What could it hurt? she thought to herself. She could tell him the truth and he would either help her or scoff at her and walk away. She had nothing to lose and everything to gain, so she decided to be honest.
She looked over his face, making eye contact with his sky blue eyes, that were filled with concern and it touched her that he would be concerned about her, when he knew next to nothing about her.
"I wasn't always like this," She said, gesturing to herself, "I used to work for the NYPD."
"What made you change?" He asked, his voice gentle, carrying no hint of disgust or disapproval, just genuine concern.
"My mom died some time ago and I guess I didn't handle it too well. One night as walking home and I just wanted everything to stop, I just wanted to feel okay for a moment, you know?" She looked at him, searching for some kind of understanding and he gave it to her.
"As a cop, I knew where some of the drug dealers set up shop. I don't know what came over me but I found one and bought some. It was supposed to be a onetime thing, I figured it couldn't hurt right? But then, I needed it again, everything wasn't so depressing when I took it, so I became hooked on it. I went to work high once and they fired me. They tried to help me of course, but it just didn't work, so they gave up on me, I was addicted, I sold everything to buy some drugs, my apartment, my clothes, everything and now I have nothing and no one left." She finished, looking away, not ready to face the judgement she knew would be clear on his face.
"Come on," he said finally, holding out his hand.
She looked up at him surprised.
"Where?" She asked.
"You're coming home with me. I have a bed you can sleep on, with a bathroom for a hot shower. I have some old tops you can wear and I have plenty of food. So please Kate, let me help you."
This was not what she had expected. She had expected him to probably offer to pay her rent, get her some food the most, but not to offer up his home to her. He didn't know her, she was a stranger to him, but yet here he was, offering up his home to her and she'd be lying if she said she didn't want to cry. It had been a while since anyone showed any kind of compassion to her and she didn't quite know what to do with it.
"You'll help me?" She asked
"Yes, I can get you clean, get you a job."
"How?"
"I'm well connected." He said with a smile and a wink.
She smiled, okay, maybe this wouldn't be a bad thing. She would have somewhere to sleep, some food, a shower because God knows how long it's been since she's had one of those and then she would try to get clean. She didn't know why, but this man's kindness gave her the overwhelming need to clean herself up and set herself straight.
"Alright." she said as she followed him.
They got out of the cab in front of his place and she froze, looking up at the big building.
He noticed that she had stopped walking and called out to her,
"Come on."
She shook her head, "They will kick me out."
"No they won't Kate."
They walked into the building and into the lift which was full of people staring. She pressed herself into the corner, wrapping her arms self-consciously around her middle as everyone in the elevator stared at her.
They finally ended up on his floor and he pulled her from the elevator and down the hall to his loft. He searched his pockets for his keys and opened the door, ushering her inside.
She looked around, it was large and spacious. It didn't look as extravagant as she had for some reason expected it to be, it was instead, roomy and homey and she instantly felt just a little bit better.
"Hello darling," Martha appeared from the kitchen, glancing over at Kate, a questioning look on her face.
He nodded to her, pulling her in for a quick hug, "Mother, thank you for babysitting Alexis."
So she was his mother, she noted as she watched the interaction before her and she so longed for that sort of interaction with her mother or with anyone at all.
She waved him off "It's no problem dear. Who is this?" She asked, looking curiously at Kate, who was hiding behind him.
"Mother this is Kate, I'm helping her out." He told her, leaving the drug addict part out of it, thank God.
"Hello darling." Martha smiled
"Hi," Kate responded shyly from behind Castle.
"Well I must be on my way, bye darling, bye Kate" Martha said, breezing pass them and through the door, leaving her and Castle alone, standing in the doorway.
"Is this okay with your wife?" Kate asked, not wanting to intrude on his family
"I don't have a wife." He said, closing the door and leading her to his living room.
"But you have a daughter," she noted, confused.
"Oh no, no Kate you have the wrong idea. Alexis is my niece, I'm looking after her cause my brother is away." He assured her.
She nodded, "Oh okay."
He watched her for a moment, before extending his hand to the left, "You can sleep in there." He said, pointing to his room.
"Where's yours, just case I need something." She asked, looking around.
He shrugged, "I'll sleep on the lounge."
"Oh no, I can't take your room, I'll sleep on the lounge." She said, not wanting to put him out of his place in his own home.
"How about and I know this seems strange, but I mean we could also sleep in the same bed." He suggested.
She thought about it for a moment. She was okay with sleeping on the lounge chair, it was better than the dingy old mattress she had been sleeping on for the past year anyway, but she could tell there was no arguing with him, she either slept on his bed with or without him, so she nodded.
"Okay."
"Good." He smiled and led her through his office to his bedroom.
He quickly found her some clothes and showed her to his bathroom, leaving the room so she could get a shower.
She stepped inside and quickly stripped off her clothes and tossed them to the side, marvelling in how huge his bathroom was. She stepped into the shower and turned it on, standing underneath the spray of hot water for a good while, letting the heat warm her up and calm her down.
Eventually, she stepped out and got dressed and exited the bathroom, to find him seated on his bed, waiting for her.
She asked for a brush and he told her where to find it.
He watched her bush her hair and couldn't help to notice how beautiful she was. She was dressed in his T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, her skin had a little colour to it and her face was framed with her wet hair that brushed passed her shoulders.
She walked out again and he had built a pillow division, so they had even sides on his bed.
"I built a pillow wall, so it's like we have separate beds." He said grinning at her.
She couldn't help the little fluttery feeling she felt in her stomach when he smiled and she looked down, her face turning slightly red at the idea that she was going to be sleeping in the same bed with Richard Castle tonight. Never in a million years would she ever dream of something like this happening to her.
She walked over to his bed and pulled back the covers settling in and he did the same. She sat up slightly, so she could see him over the wall he had built and smiled at him.
Thanks Rick,thanks for everything.
i know in the ladyash vision Alexis is his daughter but I thought i would try something else.
