Disclaimer: (said in a German accent) "I own nothing!"

AN: this is the sequel to the options game. It's going to be about seven chapters (I have four done) the point of this story is to show the day to day life of Castle and how Beckett fits in. It's also the bridge to my next story, called "Heated Moments" (it's a working title) that story will be written in the style of "Chuck vs the Bright Side of Life" by Notorious JMG, I love that story and if you like Chuck I'd suggest you reed it, and it's three sequels. It's some of the best Chuck fan fiction on the interweb. Anyways it follows the main characters through big events in there lives. I like the way it flows and I've wanted to try my hand at that format. Enough pontificating on to the fluff.

Fitting In

Chapter 1

The wake up call

Thursday 7 AM

"Detective Beckett? Kate?"

Kate slowly drifted out of her dream of floating on a cloud. She cracked an eye open, and saw Alexis dressed for school standing by her bed. She was confused for a moment then the events of the last two days came flowing back into her mind. She had no home and she was living in Castle's guest bedroom. She raised a hand to her forehead and tried to rub away the blinding headache. "Oh… why does it hurt?" she mumbles out.

"That would be the after effects of gram's margaritas. You had like six of them last night. I think she's impressed, most people pass out after four." Kate remembers last night in bits and pieces. Coming home with Castle, seeing her huge guest room, sitting down to dinner of a big taco platter and a margarita, Castle telling her to slow down on the toxic green juice, singing show tunes with Martha, I Could have danced all night!

"Oh God, why are you yelling at me? and why is the room spinning?" she groans and flips the blanket over her head to block out the light.

"I'm not yelling, dad sent me in here to wake you up and gram told me to take you some mint tea and two Aleve. It's on the bed side table if your interested." Alexis replies with that same Castle cocky smirk.

Kate flips off the blanket and grabs the two blue pills and downs them with a sip of tea. Almost instantly the tea makes her feel more human. She sits up in bed and stretches. "this is some good stuff. What is it?" then she looks down at what she's wearing. Just her underwear and what she was guessing was Castle's huge blue and white striped dress shirt. "How did I get like this? The last thing I remember is passing out by the piano. Oh god your dad didn't see me half naked did he!" Kate sounded panicked now, and it was making her head hurt more.

Alexis sat on the bed next to her and hugged her, this stopped her panicking. "Slow down, first of all you did pass out by the piano last night. Dad carried you in here and Gram made him surrender his shirt, and leave the room. We changed you and tucked you in. dad didn't see your underwear. But I must say you do wear some skimpy stuff." Alexis hoped to lighten the mood a little.

"It's all I have. The only clothes I have are the things I kept at the precinct. I have my last minute after work date clothes and a couple of pairs of jeans and a sweatshirt." she replied remorsefully.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. you can barrow some of my stuff until we can go out shopping. We're about the same size any ways."

"I don't want to impose, I'm already living here…"

"Exactly your living here that means your family. That means you get the same privileges as …" Alexis trailed off when she noticed that Kate got teary eyed. "Kate are you okay?" she just nods but she still looks choked up. Just then Martha walked in to the room wearing a green silk kimono.

"Hello ladies! Oh group hug." Martha hopped on the bed on the other side of Kate and looped her arms around the Detective. This just made Kate sob quietly. "oh what's wrong darling?" Martha hugged Kate closer, and she was rocked with sobs. "what happened Alexis?"

"We were talking, and all of a sudden she looked all choked up. Then when you joined in the hug she started to sob." Alexis looked lost.

"it's just… I'm… it's been a wile since I've been a part of a family. Since my mom died…" she trailed off and sobbed harder.

"Oh, honey it's okay, let it out. You don't have to be strong right now, let it out, that's it." Martha held on to Kate tighter.

Richard Castle stood by the stove flipping French toast and mixing a big pan of scrambled eggs. he looked at the clock on the stove and scratched his head. He sent Alexis upstairs fifteen minutes ago to wake Kate up. Then five minutes ago he sent his mother up to check on what's taking so long. Now breakfast was ready and everyone was upstairs. He pulled the pans off the stove and wiping his hands in a towel he climbed the stairs in search of his three favorite ladies. When he got to the top of the stairs he heard sobbing. He approached Kate's room and saw them all on the bed hugging each other. He met his mother's eyes and she shook her head. He went back down to the kitchen. "I guess they need a little more time?"

Martha rubbed small circles on Kate's back. "Honey I think it's time to go down, and have something to eat. I find that a heavy meal after a good cry makes every thing all better."

"Okay?" she was feeling kind of dumb at the moment. Here was a family that had taken her in, and she cry's on them for it. Maybe Castle was right she needed a vacation to get her self together, not that she was ever going to admit it to him.

"Alexis go down and stall your dad, and I'll get Katie here presentable."

"Okay gram." Alexis walked out of the room.

"come on lets get you cleaned up," as they walked into the bathroom Martha saw the unsure look in Kate's eyes. "Now I know you feel crazy for falling apart for such a small thing as a group hug, but your emotion are all off kilter right now. That outburst was bound to happen at some point. You've been under a lot of stress and all this means is that you feel safe enough with us to let it out." Kate turned on the cold water in the sink and splashed some on her face. "I was like this after my second marriage you know. It hurt a lot but I kept it bottled up and went about my day as usual. Then one day Richard came home from school, he was about ten at the time, and he gave me a Valentines day card that he made in art class. It was just a folded up piece of red paper with "I love you mommy" written in it. I cried for an hour after that. He didn't understand what made me cry but I played it off as just being touched by such good workmanship. Till this day I think he thinks he's good a making cards." they had a good laugh over that as they made there way down to the table.

As they sat down Rick came in with the last platter of eggs. he took one look at Kate sitting there In just her underwear and his shirt and almost dropped the plate. She had no makeup on, her hair was in a messy ponytail, and her eyes were still a little puffy. All that, and Rick didn't think she could look any sexier. There's just something about a woman wearing your clothes that's just so damn sexy. She turned to look at him, and saw that he was staring at her. She blushed, and Rick changed his opinion. She looked even hotter now. What he would give to see her flushed laying under him panting… no he was at the dining room table, he was not going to have a sex fantasy. it was at times like now that his writer's imagination was both a blessing and a curse. Shaking his head he sat down. "So what's everyone doing today?"

"I have school and then Owen and I are going to study for our Calculus Test tomorrow." said Alexis in between bites of French toast.

I'm off to Chet's place to see if he has all our tickets and reservations for our trip to Chicago."

"I'm going in to the precinct to gather some stuff and check in with the team. I'm not taking new cases but I still have some paperwork to fill out on the Nikki Heat killer. I also was wondering where they put the undamaged stuff from my apartment." replied Kate

"They're in five boxes sitting in Lanie's office. She had the CSU boys drop them off yesterday." added Rick.

"What are you going to do today dad?"

"Well pumpkin someone has to make the arrangements for our Euro trip." Rick said nonchalantly. Alexis screamed yes and ran around the table to hug her dad. "It wasn't my idea, it was Kate's, I still want to go on the cruse." Alexis ran around and hugged Kate.

"It's going to be great! Thank you for picking the trip to Europe." said Alexis as she sat back down in her seat.

"Yeah, I've never been out of the country before and the trip sounded like more fun. Plus I knew your dad wanted to go on the cruse."

"Oh it's going to be so much fun. I planned it all. We're starting off in London for a few days, we'll see the Tate, and the Tems. Then we're going to take the bullet train to Paris. We'll spend a few days going to museums and visiting famous places there too. Then we're off to Berlin for two days. And we finish off the last five days on a tour of Italy. It's going to be so much fun, I can't wait!" said Alexis in that fast teenage girl talk.

"We have to add a stop off in Modena Italy pumpkin. So that Kate can look at birthday present options." added Rick.

"No! Castle that was a joke right? You are not buying me an Italian sports car." protested Kate.

"oh dad which one are you getting her?"

"Well that's up to her kiddo. That's why we are making the stop in Modena. So she can visit the Ferrari and Lamborghini plants."

"No! You can't buy me a car, and that's final." said a defiant Kate.

"If your finished Kate I can take you up to my room so we can find you something to wear." Alexis looked like she was excited about the prospect of playing dress up with Kate.

"Yeah, I'm done now lets find something fast so your not late for school." they both stood up and took their plates to the sink, and headed upstairs.

"That's one strong, smart woman. Richard, don't mess this up." said Martha as she walked by his chair headed to the kitchen.

"I don't know what you're talking about mother." replied Castle as he followed her it to the kitchen carrying the rest of the plates.

"Don't play dumb with me buster! I'm your mother. I know when you're in love." she tossed back triumphantly.

"I am not! Detective Beckett is just my muse for the Nikki Heat books!" he tried to sound more confident then he was.

"I'm a professional Stage actor Richard, and you're not. I know you love that woman, and for the first time in a long time, I approve. She's smart, and confident. She's everything you need in a partner. But she's not used to having someone take care of her. You have to go about this slowly. Go on this trip but don't push for a physical relationship. Let her see that you love her. Let her come to you at her own pace. I'll talk to Alexis, and we will help as much as we can. You are not going to lose this one kiddo." for the first time in a long time Richard Castle saw the serious side of his mother. He relented.

"Fine, but I'll give you the same advice. No scaring her off. And what was that crying group hug I almost walked in on?"

"She had a small emotional meltdown. She's been under a lot of stress as of late and it was bound to happen. Every woman is entitled to a meltdown every now and then." she replies in a airy manor.

"well I'm glad that you and Alexis were there to help her with it." Castle sounds relieved.

Upstairs in Alexis' room the two ladies are looking through Alexis' closet. "so what do you have?" asked Alexis.

"Well I have a couple of underwear sets, and I have two pairs of jeans. But I'm short on tops and socks. I also only have one pair of black high heeled boots that aren't all that comfortable. So if I can barrow a top, and if you're a size 9 maybe a pair of shoes?" Kate looked embarrassed about asking.

"Yeah, no problem. I'm a size 9 so pick a pair of shoes from the bottom of the closet, and do you need something dressy or casual?" replied Alexis as she started to thumb through her tops.

"um, well I'm just stopping by my desk for a few minutes, so I don't need anything too dressy. I guess just something comfortable." Kate shrugs.

"Cool I can do that. Okay um, oh! How about this red cassimere sweater. And I have a pair of red low top Chucks that match." she pulled a light weight sweater and picked up the Chucks.

"That's perfect. How did you know that red was my color?" asked Kate as she took the offered top and shoes.

"Dad told me. You said that you needed socks right. I have short ankle socks, or the longer calf socks?" she asked holding up a pair in each hand.

"I'll take the short ones, and I promise that you will get your stuff back unharmed."

"I know I will. It's cool your family now Kate, we Castle's stick together." she replied without hesitation as she grabbed her book bag.

"I'm going to take a shower, see you later Alexis." said Kate as Alexis hugged her and walked downstairs.

Everyone left the apartment by the time Kate came out of her room dressed. She sat down on her bed and called Lanie.

"Dr. Parish."

"Its me Kate."

"Hey girl! What's up?"

"well Castle said that my stuff is in your office, I was wondering if you might be free for lunch today at that diner down the street from the station, and after that I could swing by and get the boxes."

"Yeah that sounds good to me, as long as another body doesn't drop between now and then."

"great Lanie. I'll see you at the diner at noon."