Post-Ep for 7-15
Kate and Castle were cuddled on the couch the morning following the ordeal with Nieman and Tyson. Kate nestled herself into the crook of Castle's arm as he absent-mindedly flicked through the television channels. "You okay?" She asked her husband.
"I should be asking you that."
Kate shrugged, "I know what it's like being the one waiting, and searching, and not knowing."
"He rigged it so that I saw you die."
Kate sat up straight, "you never told me that yesterday."
"We had a lot going on Kate."
"What happened?"
"He had your voice. We burst into a room where we thought you were. She looked just like you sitting in that chair. He rigged guns going off and you were dead, she was dead. For a good thirty seconds I thought I had lost you." Tears crept their way out of his eyes.
"Oh Castle." Kate hugged him. "I can't imagine what you were feeling."
"She had your ring on." Kate looked down and twisted the rings on her left finger. "Don't worry I had them cleaned." He smiled. She kissed him them.
The two were so lost in their own world that they didn't hear the door to the loft opening. They did however hear Alexis' scream when she saw that Kate was okay. "Kate!"
Alexis came running over to Kate and hugged her fiercely, shocking Kate a little bit. "I am so glad you're okay Kate."
Kate returned the hug and gave Castle a look meaning something along the lines of 'what do I do?' Castle just raised his eyebrows and stood to greet his mother along with all of her bags. "Looks like you two did a lot of damage in Europe for the amount of time you were gone." Kate noted when she saw all of the bags.
Alexis pulled away but stayed on the couch with Kate. "We never actually left the airport once we got to Italy" Alexis admitted.
"What?" Castle asked, looking at his mother.
"She was too worried dear." Martha said softly.
"Well, why don't I give you a hand with this stuff?" Castle offered.
"That would be lovely dear." Martha said, the two of them realizing that Kate and Alexis needed some time alone.
"Is that true Alexis? You never left the airport?" This was completely new territory for the two of them. Sure, she was married to Castle but Alexis and her and never really had that mother-daughter bond.
"Yea. I just kept thinking of how scared I was when I was taken." So that's what this was about. "I knew you must have been scared too."
"I was very scared Alexis. But your father did the right thing, sending the two of you away. I mean, all of the trouble your dad gets into, its because of me."
"Don't talk like that. You've saved my dad Kate, and not just from danger but from himself and from crazy women like my own mother. Ever since you and my dad finally got together, I often dreamt of what our lives would have been like if you had been my mother when I was younger."
Kate smiled. This was the first time Alexis was really opening up to Kate. "I dream of things like that too Lex. I was so sucked into my own issues with my mother that I couldn't get out of that rabbit hole I dug myself." Kate sighed, it was time for her to open up as well. "I would have loved a little girl like you Alexis."
"Maybe you and dad will have one. I mean, they won't be quite as awesome as me, but pretty close." Alexis joked. Kate's face went serious all of a sudden. "Sorry, maybe I over stepped my boundaries."
"No, no it's not that. Your father and I were actually talking about all of this before I was taken."
"But-"
"But I killed a woman in cold blood yesterday Alexis."
"You mean Dr. Nieman? She deserved it Kate, you did it to survive. She was going to kill you."
"I just… I just don't know if I would be a good mother." Kate felt kind of bad unloaded this on Alexis, but she couldn't talk about this kind of stuff with Castle.
"Kate, in the time I've known you I have seen the way you care for the victims and their families, and how hard you work to find justice. And those are people you don't even know, just imagine how much you'd care for your own child. And one day, when your son or daughter asks about your job, you tell them how you kick ass at it."
Kate smiled, "you really are wise beyond your years Lex."
"I know." The pair laughed, and hugged. This was the time Rick made his entrance.
"Chinese for dinner?" He asked.
"Sounds great dad. I'm just going to take a shower and un-pack my stuff." Alexis said, leaving Kate on the couch contemplating everything the red head had said to her.
"You okay?" He asked Kate.
"Yea, I am. Make sure you order the cashew nut chicken."
END