"How could she do this to us?" Slamming his glass tumbler on the desk, Castle started pacing his office as that one question ricocheted around in his head.
"How could she do this to us? How could she do this to us? How could she do this to us?"
With each new iteration of the question, Castle could feel is anger level rising more and more. "How could she do this to us?" Growling in anger, Castle grabbed the tumbler from his desk, throwing it violently against the wall and watching with pleasure as bits of glass, ice and alcohol rained down to the floor. With a heavy sigh, he collapsed wearily in his chair, laying his head in his arms on the desk.
-o-O-o-
Whistling merrily as he pushed open the front door, Castle couldn't help but marvel once more that he had been released for the torture session called a publisher's meeting two hours earlier than expected. He was actually going to be home when his daughter got back from her day out with her grandmother—something he thought would only happen in his wildest dreams.
Whistling one long last note, Castle placed the mail and keys he had been holding on the hall table and removed his coat.
Starting at the sound of a thump coming from his bedroom, Castle grabbed the heaviest thing on hand—a small dog figurine—and carefully opened the door, knowing that no one else should be home. Holding the figurine up like a bat, he tiptoed into the room.
Dropping the figuring in shock at the sight of the two naked bodies—one of them his wife—writhing about in the bed, Castle no longer tried to be quiet as he exited the room, nearly slamming the door shut in the process.
Pulling his cell phone from his jacket pocket, he quickly dialed his mother. "Mother, can you keep Alexis for the night?" Asking as soon as his mother answered her phone, he didn't let her get a word in otherwise before continuing. "I know this is short notice and I know you have a show tonight, but you raised me backstage. You could keep her back there and no one would be any the wiser. Just give her a book and sit her in a corner somewhere. She won't be a bother."
Listening quietly as Martha responded, Castle let out a sigh of frustration before responding to the question posed to him. "It's just something has come up. I don't want Alexis home to see this. It isn't right and it isn't fair. Mother!" Stopping Martha before she could berate him he let out a strangled sob and quietly whispered. "Meredith is cheating on me."
Once he had his emotions slightly back under control he let out a quiet thank you before hanging up the phone.
Tossing his phone on the kitchen island, he grabbed a bottle of Scotch and a glass before settling down on the uncomfortable couch in the living room.
Twenty minutes later, slightly buzzed, Castle watched as his wife and her lover exited the bedroom and she playfully pushed him out the door with a "best you leave before my husband gets home." Giving the man one last kiss, she closed the door before running back into the bedroom, presumably to straighten up before 'her husband got home'.
No longer able to sit quietly by, Castle rose from the couch and burst into the bedroom.
"Hello Meredith."
"Richard! What are you doing home so early? I thought your meeting wasn't supposed to end for another hour."
"What a way to greet your husband—demanding to know why he is home so early. Really, I should be asking you the same thing. You were supposed to be working all day and not be home 'til later. Why are you here?"
"Oh! Well, rehearsal ended early today and so I decided to come home."
"And clean the bedroom? That's quite laughable. The woman who is always saying that we need a maid service coming home and cleaning the bedroom? I don't think so. Why don't you tell me what you were really doing?"
"I thought it would be a nice surprise for you—"
"DON'T LIE TO ME. I saw you earlier. Writhing about in the bed—our bed—with another man. I should have seen this coming, and yet, I didn't. What an idiot I am to think that I could actually satisfy someone like you. I am going to give you twenty minutes to pack up anything you might need tonight and then I want you out. Out of my room. Out of my house. Out of my life."
"Richard!" Reaching forward to grab his arm, Castle reflexively took a step back.
"NO. I want you out now. I'll send you the divorce papers tomorrow."
Turning around, Castle stooped to pick up the dog figurine from the floor before leaving the room and heading back to the couch and his bottle of scotch.
-o-O-o-
"Daddy?"
Groaning at the unwelcome intrusion, Castle buried his head deeper into his arms in an attempt to keep the sound at bay.
"Dad-dy!" The call, coupled with the feel of small hands pushing against his side was enough to waken him enough to sit up. "Daddy, it's time to get up. Mommy always says you get grumpy when you sleep at your desk."
"I'm up. Hey, pumpkin." Picking up the little redhead by her knees, Castle carried her out to the kitchen, her laughs echoing out through the loft the entire time. "How was your day with Gramms? Did you have fun?" Carefully righting the little girl, Castle gently placed her back on her feet before setting about making coffee.
"It was so fun. We went shopping. Ate dinner. Gramms took me to work with her too. It was so cool! I got to sit backstage and watch all the people. Gramms said you used to do that when you were my age too. I fell asleep during the show though. I woke up at her house this morning and then I came home. It was amazing." Traipsing over to the island, Alexis managed to pull one of the tall stools out and climbed up on it.
"Sounds like you had a blast, honey. So, did Gramms feed you this morning or do I need to provide sustenance?"
"Gramms gave me fruit and cereal for breakfast."
"The good sugary cereal, or her boring old cereal?"
"The boring stuff."
"Well, that will not do. A growing girl like you needs sugary foods to start off her day. So, what shall I make you this fine morning?" Setting his brimming cup of coffee on the counter, Castle started rummaging through the cupboards, calling out breakfast suggestions as he went.
"Daddy? Where's Mommy? Usually she comes out and yells at us for being so loud."
Sighing heavily, Castle closed the cupboards before pulling out the stool and sitting down to face the little girl. "Mommy isn't here right now. She'll no longer be living here."
"What do you mean?" Wrinkling her brow in confusion, Alexis stared up at her dad.
"It means, Mommy and Daddy are getting a divorce."
"What's a di-vorce?"
"A divorce is what happens when too people who were married decide that they no longer make each other happy. It isn't that they don't love each other, or love their children, it is just that they think that it would be worse to continue to live together then to live in different places."
With tears forming in her eyes, Alexis looked down at her hands that were resting in her lap. "Is this my fault? Did Mommy leave because I was bad?"
Grabbing the little girl off her stool, Castle pulled her into his lap and into a tight hug. "Oh no, baby. This has nothing to do with you. Your Mommy and I both love you very much and in no way did you do anything that could make either of us want to leave. You are our special little girl. We love you and nothing you could do would ever change that."
Pushing out of her father's arms, Alexis slowly got down from his lap and morosely walked towards the stairs. "I'm not hungry anymore."
Watching his daughter walk off, Castle couldn't help but let the tears that had been gathering in his eyes fall. Wiping away the tears, Castle stood up and once again started rummaging through the cupboards, intent on finding some way of cheering up his daughter.
-o-O-o-
With a gentle knock, Castle slowly pushed the bedroom door open. Squinting slightly in the dim light, Castle walked towards the bed where Alexis had cocooned herself with the pink and purple comforter. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he placed the plate on the bedside table before slowly trying to unwrap the little girl. "Come on, honey. Can you come out from there? I brought you pancakes to cheer you up."
"I don't want anything." Clutching the comforter even closer, Alexis burrowed deeper into the tangle of cloth already surrounding her. "I just want to be left alone."
"Okay, honey. I'll leave you for now. But, when you do come out, your pancakes are on your bedside table."
Leaving the room, Castle looked back once more at the lump on the bed before closing the door.
-o-O-o-
An hour later, Castle was startled from his brooding as he felt his little girl using his leg to steady herself and she climbed onto the couch and burrowed into his side.
"Daddy. Can you make me some new pancakes? Mine are soggy now."
Looking down at the plate his daughter has set on the coffee table, Castle let out a little laugh at the mess of liquid, chocolate and bread on the plate. "I guess they are a little soggy, aren't they." Picking up his little girl, he once again carried her to the kitchen. "Maybe, whipped cream wasn't the greatest idea this time."
"I don't think so. What was it supposed to be?"
"They were cheering up pancakes. Whipped cream and chocolate chips in the shape of a smiley face on the pancake. I guess they could use some work though."
"Maybe leave the whipped cream off?"
"Maybe."
A/N: This piece is in response to the challenge: Castle Manifesto at Castleland on LJ. I chose the theme Castle and Alexis.
This piece is unbeta'd. As such, if you see any glaring errors feel free to point them out in a PM or review.