At first she had been terribly nervous at the invitation; she very nearly didn't accept. Castle didn't play fair though; he sent Little Castle.
It was hard to say no to an eager, brightly smiling teen. She tried to say she was going to her fathers, but Alexis just jumped at the chance and said that they would both have to come. She caught Castle's eye and glared. He blinked in outrageous innocence refusing to say a word. She was left staring at Alexis and hearing herself accept the offer.
Great.
Dear God…Thanksgiving dinner at Clan Castle.
What the hell was she thinking.
She agonized over her wardrobe. Her Dad would be at her apartment soon and she was still trying to decide what to wear. Why was she always thinking about her clothes around the man? She pulled out jeans and a casual sweater, stared at them for a moment before throwing them to the ground. She pulled out a modest dress in a dark blue, then tossed it to the ground. She pulled out … etc…
She finally looked at the closet refuse on her bedroom floor and sighed.
Reaching down she closed her eyes and grabbed for the first thing she could reach. Her Dad would be here any moment.
She listened to her father with real pleasure on the cab ride over to Castle's. It took her mind off of what and who awaited them. He was animatedly talking about a class he was taking on Greek lit at the local college. It was nice to hear him speak without a tinge of sadness to his voice.
She ignored her stomach clenching and twisting in nervous anticipation. This wasn't work. This was a family event.
The door swung open and she pasted a bright smile on her face. Bright strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes met her, rather than Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome. Alexis squealed and gave her a huge hug. The teenager released her only to prattle at how nice it was to meet Detective Beckett's father. Her Dad smiled at the girl, genuinely charmed. Well, who wouldn't be, she thought. The girl was everything any parent prayed for in a daughter…smart, beautiful, loving…
Martha made her appearance next; and even Kate couldn't help but duck her head and chuckle at how easily the woman flirted and fawned at her Dad. The poor man didn't stand a chance...
They entered the location making easy conversation about weather and food when he finally stepped into view.
He was in a suit, of course he was, dark green shirt….she stared…and an obnoxiously bright orange turkey tie. She blinked and looked up at his dancing eyes.
"I knew you'd like it" he preened.
She snorted in response and shoved her coat at him.
He took it with a grin that quickly became feral as he let his eyes wander over her.
Her turn to preen a little, she thought smugly. She had decided on a tight red wine sweater complete with a deep v-neck and black velvet dress pants. Oh, did she mention the pants were snug?
He reached out and she startled, nearly smacking his hand. Something made her pause and she bit her lip when he adjusted the chain with her mother's ring.
"There" he said meeting her eyes warmly. "Much better"
Before she could reply, Martha whirled back into their midst with a glass of wine. "Here you go kiddo. Never let it be said, we didn't ply you with drink at a family meal." She winked when she handed over the glass and nodded approvingly towards Kate.
Kate took the glass with a smile and murmured thanks.
She looked at Castle over the rim of her glass, noting that his eyes were still watching her. Still full of feral warmth. She felt the heat rise in her stomach…it really didn't have much to do with the wine…so she rolled her eyes and spun around to go see her father.
She made the introductions between her father and Castle; watching like an overeager teen herself to see how they would react to each other. Her Dad lifted a brow in her direction and smiled. She responded in kind…and felt somewhat giddy. Daddy liked him.
Castle turned with a wicked smile at his daughter and said something about the new turkey carver; then they both skipped? off to the kitchen. Martha made some noise about no one ending up in the ER this year…
She should have known that the Castle clan would be gracious and welcoming to both herself and her father for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Her nerves settled.
The meal was…well the meal was fantastic. They even had non-alcoholic wine for Alexis and her father. Castle's and Beckett's argued football; they discussed the latest case; they listened to Alexis' latest tales from her latest school trip.
It was all going so well…
Afterward, Kate stood speaking with Martha and Alexis about the best ski locations while Castle and her father moved towards the large bookshelf. The pair had been discussing the who's who of Greek literature…when she dimly heard the topic switch to Castle's own books.
Her father's voice carried on a laugh across the room. "Yeah, I remember how excited she was after she stood in line for some ungodly amount of time and you signed her book. She was like a teenager when she called to tell me about it."
She froze.
Castle's head whipped around to stare at her; his eyes wide with glee; a smile stretching across his face.
Oh god.
"Is that so?" He started moving towards her, fairly bouncing on his heels.
She swallowed.
"Oh yeah, but I'm sure you know all this…" her father was oblivious to the scene playing out before him. He reached out and pulled one of the books off the shelf.
Alexis smiled brightly, also completely unaware of the undercurrent. "Really? Dad signed one of his books for you? Before you even knew him? That is just so cool!" She turned to face Castle "You don't even remember do you?" she said accusingly.
Castle shook his head. "What a shame I can't remember. Jog my memory…what were you wearing? Did you have me sign anything else?" he teased waggling his eyebrows.
"DAD!" Alexis yelled at him.
Kate's lips were pursed and she only half-noticed her father come walking up with 'Heat Wave'.
Another fatal mistake.
Castle looked back at her father only to hear him say. "Yeah, my Katie… she always did love your writing. Told me it was one of the only things that got her through it all…you know… It was a hard time for both of us." He brought his face up to meet Kate's; his eyes sad.
Kate felt the oxygen suck out of the room when she turned to face her father.
Oh dad…
She felt herself shrink in on herself; vulnerable in a way she hadn't been in years.
Martha watched the byplay at first with amusement, then with the realization that something very very personal had been revealed. Privacy was the order of the day. She caught Alexis by her hand and started dragging her away. "Come on darling, let's get that wonderful dessert you spent so much time helping me on …I'm sure we will all be glad to have some." Alexis frowned trying to stay back and hear, but allowed her gram to take her off.
Still unaware of the elephant he had firmly planted in the room, her father leaned over and kissed his daughter on the cheek. "I'm glad Katie. I'm so very glad that you had him." He stepped back, smiled at Castle, then headed off to assist Martha and Alexis.
She swallowed and took a deep breath; then forced herself to meet his eyes. Go ahead, she thought, do your worst. Expecting a smug, smirking, self-congratulating expression, she was instead surprised by the intense seriousness boring into her.
"Well go ahead Castle, make your comment, enjoy it…before I shoot you" she finished shakily.
He moved closer; held her gaze. She trembled. He could crush her with one phrase. As if he could feel the flight response building in her he started to reach out for her, but stopped just short.
His eyes still hadn't left hers. "I don't think I have ever, ever, been paid such an enormous compliment. I am…" he paused to glance away. He cleared his throat. "I am overwhelmed."
Searching his face, she realized that he wasn't making fun of her. He wasn't going to lord this over her. He was genuinely surprised and… something else. She couldn't pin it down, but its very nature frightened her.
"Kate" he whispered softly. "I hope I can always be there for you."