"Mom?" Alexis looked at her phone to confirm it was in fact her mother who called.
"Hello darling. Are you ready to go to Paris? I have so much planned. First we have to go to this little boutique that my fashion consultant recommended. It's supposed to have this rare material that I can't even pronounce. Then we have to go to that restaurant we visited last time we were there . . . you actually might not remember it since you were so young, but you'll love it. After that we'll go to the spa and I hear there's this really cute wor-"
"Wow, mom, slow down. I'm already seeing someone."
"Well who said he was for you?" Meredith gave her rich laugh that would always put a smile on Alexis' face.
"I'm not sure I can even go to Paris anymore. I've been feeling so sick, my head is pounding, my throat is raw, and I think I'm starting to get an ear infection. Dad's going to take me to the doctor later."
"Oh no, sweetheart, that's terrible. Are you drinking tea and soup? We need you in tip-top shape for this trip. I remember one time I . . ."
Alexis became distracted from Meredith's speech about home remedies when the front door opened, and Castle and Detective Beckett walked in. She waved her hand and gave a silent "hi" to Beckett. Castle nodded to her phone when Alexis didn't say anything out loud. Usually, she would have no problem speaking to him when she's on the phone with one of her friends. There was just no reason in starting a whole conversation about her father's new relationship with his first ex-wife.
She mouthed who it was and Castle gave her a grimace in return. She couldn't hold back the chuckle that escaped when she saw Castle grab Beckett's arm and lead her towards his office. As if the open shelves would block out anything they say.
"Honey, are you even listening to me?" Meredith seemed to have finished her story, but Alexis was too enwrapped in the sight before her eyes. Her father and Detective Beckett were off to the side of his office, but she still had a decent view of them.
Beckett was sitting on the corner of Castle's desk, squeezing a faded stress ball. He once confessed he had the ball since his college days and it had always got him out of a slump. The ball was given to Alexis for when she goes to college and gets pummeled with papers and work; however, the ball ended up back on his desk a week later. Apparently, he was in more need of it than her.
Alexis watched Castle take the ball out of Beckett's hands and place it somewhere beside her. Beckett looked up at him expectantly. He reached into his pocket and gently dropped a small, silver keychain down in her still outstretched palm. Alexis had seen it before; it was a tiny silver gun, but instead of the regular round barrel that a bullet would travel through, it was in the shape of a fountain pen that lay on top of the trigger. Part of him, part of her.
It was Castle's subtle way of promising that one day he will give her a key to put on that chain, but not yet. The smile on Beckett's face was enough to tell him that she is perfectly happy to carry the silver treasure with her everyday whether it unlocked her door or his. She pulled on Castle's lapels to bring him closer for a tight embrace, closing her eyes to soak up the moment even more. When they pulled apart, Beckett slid her lips along his jawline towards his mouth.
"Alexis, what is going on over there? You haven't been listening to a word I've said."
Walking away from the sappy moment that seems to be rapidly heating up, Alexis decides her room sounds pretty wonderful right about now.
"I'm here, mom. You were saying?"
Alexis put the phone on speaker and placed it on her dresser. Her room was a complete mess thanks to her father and his need to make a fort out of the leftover boxes from her move to the dorms. It was fun at first, but now she has to crawl over and under things to get to the other side of her room. It's her fault, really, for encouraging these antics. She even showed him a more complex set up after she found the chest high stack of cardboard.
"Oh, never mind now. We'll discuss everything after your doctor's appointment. How's your father? Still following the Detective?" Meredith asked casually.
"I don't think he will stop following her anytime soon. Besides, they're partners. He's a big help at the precinct."
"I'm surprised. Last time I was in the city I thought Detective Beckett would surely kick him to the curb sooner or later."
"Well, they have been dating for a few months now and seem to be having a lot of fun together."
When Alexis would come back home sometimes while Beckett was there, they would end up playing poker or watching a scary movie that would not be scary at all. Those times pretty much consisted of Castle cheating because Beckett was taking all his money, and Beckett teasing Castle for jumping when a loud noise would emanate through the television screen.
"Fun? Your father and I had fun when we were together and look how that ended up."
"It's different with her though. He doesn't hang around someone all day every day unless he really has strong feelings for them. Plus, you haven't seen them like I do."
"Alexis, it's your father. He couldn't possibly be this head over heels over a woman for so long. Look at what happened with Gina. He thought she was the one . . . twice! We all saw how that relationship ended, and I mean that literally. Gossip magazines everywhere loved to go on and on about that fight they had at La Cirque. And didn't he start dating someone last year. I specifically remember there being an article about some blonde . . . "
"That was . . . a complicated time."
Four years of a complicated time, actually. Alexis was sure that this was different than his previous escapades with bimbettes and meaningless flings.
Meredith did not see the way Castle would lie down on the couch, playing with Detective Beckett's hair, who would be sitting on the floor in front of him, playing a new app that Castle insisted was the greatest creation known to man. She would always indulge him no matter how insistently annoying he may seem. He would stop combing his fingers through her hair to give her a hand with the game she was playing and Beckett would look at him, accepting that he always has her back - even with the little things like chopping off zombie heads and escaping from demon monkeys. When Castle is satisfied with the points he gained or with the head start he has, he would give his phone back to her and continue taking out the pesky knots in her hair. Sometimes he would be rewarded with a quick press of her lips to his palm before taking the phone away and continuing the momentum he created.
Meredith did not see the looks they would give each other whenever they thought they were alone in the room together. The way they would stare into each other's eyes and give those too endearing smiles. She didn't see how Detective Beckett would slide her hand up to Castle's face, gently winding her fingers around the nape of his neck to play with the small hairs there. It was beautiful, yet completely inappropriate for Alexis to witness because they would always go from sweet to something a child should never see their father doing to another woman. But still, Alexis saw what mattered most-
Their love.
Alexis was brought out of her thoughts by Meredith's insistent stubbornness.
"So you mean to tell me he is not kidding with this one? This is too good to be true."
Apparently, her mother cannot bring herself to picture Castle in a working relationship. Alexis would have had a difficult time as well if she were not home most of the time and didn't know her father aside from the public's perspective.
"Well, he's dad. Of course there's kidding and his fun, sporadic, you-have-to-try-this ideas. . ."
"That's your father all right."
"But there's also the times when they look so sappy and it's so great to see he's finally happy with someone." Especially now that she is in college and he has to fend for himself when it comes to Martha and her need to sneak in a few credit cards for a must-have fur winter coat.
Alexis continued to answer her mother's inquiries, but with certain limitations. Her mother did not need to know how often Detective Beckett would sleep there or when they began to do the deed. Ugh, gross.
"Okay mom, can we change the subject. It's their business what goes on and I shouldn't be talking about them behind their back." It wouldn't be fair to her father or to Beckett to keep gossiping about them, they get enough of that with everyone else.
"No problem, sweetheart, I have to go anyway. Make sure you call me after your appointment."
Alexis was descending the stairs when she heard voices coming from the front door.
"So I'll see you tomorrow? It should be a slow day since I have to go home early and pack some stuff. I've never had my apartment fumigated before."
Beckett had her arms wrapped around Castle's waist, interlocking her fingers so he wouldn't escape. Not that he would want to. They always found an excuse to be next to each other, whether it's to whisper something in the other's ear that usually spreads a wide grin across their faces or if it's just to be close enough where the distance is nonexistent.
"Hopefully you won't have to fumigate it ever again. One of my friends had his apartment done once and they completely messed up the furniture and paint. The bright side is that if that happens to you, you can just live here," Castle said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Beckett narrowed her eyes at him. "Castle. Do you honestly think I would move in with you if all my belongings were to be destroyed and the apartment so uninhabitable that it would leave me homeless where you will be the only person out of everyone I know to put a roof over my head?"
Castle pretended to think about it, "In a nutshell, yes."
Beckett had half the mind to smack the smirk off his face if it was not for the appeal of living with him that gave her heart a little jump. The thought of waking up before him and getting dressed from a shared closet fills her up inside. The closet might not even be big enough for both their wardrobes, but wait, no. Not going to think about that . . . yet.
"Thank you for my keychain, Castle," Kate whispered.
Castle leaned forward and gave a chaste kiss to her lips, once, twice, three times. Nowadays, he couldn't just leave it at one peck; he'd always go in for seconds and thirds. Besides, its not like she doesn't do the same to him.
"It's not diamond earrings or an expensive bracelet, but I just wanted give you something you can use everyday that has meaning to it. Something from me."
He had that look in his eyes again. The one she couldn't help but turn pink in the cheeks and weak in the knees. The one that shows how much he cares about her and for her. It's the one he gives when he slides the cover higher above them to maintain their body heat and keep out the cool air in the bedroom. The one he gives whenever he finds out something new about her. She will never tire from that look.
"Do you forget you are with me for the most part of every day and almost every night? You have more meaning to me than any inanimate object," Kate said softly, "I don't need material things to show me how much you value us. I just need you and your heart . . ."
She didn't get a chance to finish before she was pressed tightly to his chest, overcome by his fierce, but tender, kisses.
When they finally separated, she gave his hands one last squeeze and walked towards the elevator with an undeniable grin on her face.
Nothing could spoil her mood this week.
the end.
A/N: Hope you all liked it. Any thoughts or feedback?