Author's Note: This is the only chapter written with ten year old Kate and Castle, after this they're the same basic characters we see in the show, with Castle being obviously younger than canon. Other than that change, and some obvious AU situations that it causes, I've tried to be as true to the show's canon as possible. If there are any questions about a point in the story at all, feel free to ask in a pm or review.
Kate looked up from her workbook as the front of the class started laughing, startled out of her concentration at the sudden noise. She couldn't see what they were laughing at from her seat, but she wished they would be quiet and let her go back to her work. If she finished the worksheet early, she might be able to finish her math from her last class before the bell rang. If she could manage that, and if science was a lab again with no homework to take home, she might be able to talk her parents into letting her walk down to the bookstore before it got too dark. The workers there had promised the next book in the series she was reading would be in last week, but she'd never been able to finish her homework in time.
Today was the first day she thought she might be able to get through her work in time, and of course something happened to disrupt her concentration before she could manage to get through even half of the worksheet. And now the teacher was walking towards the door, trying to shush the class as she walked towards whatever it was the students were laughing at.
"Now, boys and girls, is that any way to greet our newest classmate?" And sure enough, when Kate leaned into the aisle to get a better angle, she saw a boy sitting on the ground, rubbing his knee with a sheepish look on his face. His books were scattered around him where he'd tripped, hand drawn superheroes on all of his notebook covers.
"This is Alexander Rodgers" the teacher continued, moving closer to help the boy up from the floor. But before she could get close enough to help, he springs up from the floor and dips into a deep bow, complete with over the top hand flourishes and a large grin. Kate sighs again, the boy has all the markings of a major troublemaker, and the only free seat is the one in her group of two. She's never going to be able to finish her math now.
And sure enough, as soon as the teacher points him to the seat in front of her and he sits down, he's extending a hand towards her over their desks, only barely lowering his voice as he introduces himself.
"Hi, I'm Ri-Alex" he says, blushing slightly as he stumbles over his name, but never looking away from her, hand still steadily outstretched.
Kate debates being rude and ignoring him, but can't bring herself to be that mean. She does however decide to pay him back a little for disrupting her concentration. "Ralex huh? Is that like Rolex, but off brand?" She winces a little as Alex's face falls, wondering if the taunt had been too much. But he recovers quickly, grin back in place almost as quickly as it disappeared.
"I'm a one of a kind original, believe me. I've been told many times no one could possibly act anything like me; there isn't space in the world for two of me. They usually say that last bit with a fun mix of frustration and relief too. Like they're glad I'm the only one of me, but also frustrated they have to deal the me that is here. Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is. It's not like it was a big tack, or a lot of glue, or even a big explosion. It barely singed the wastebasket even."
As Kate listened to Alex talk, she had the sinking feeling that not only would she have homework tonight, she might never be able to finish her work in this class again. And explosion in a wastebasket? Who was this kid?
She must have been staring at him in shock for too long, because Alex cleared his throat expectantly, holding his hand out again. "So, I told you my name and my story, do I get to know yours now?"
"Oh, sorry! I'm Kate. And what do you mean your story? Were you making that all up?"
"No, that was all true I'm afraid. It's what got me kicked out of my last school."
Oh great, Kate thought. He is a trouble maker.
"I just mean, it's my story, the reason I'm here and not somewhere else. My history, my origin story, my past, however else you want to say it."
Both of them startle as the teacher's voice rings out in the middle of their conversation, Kate looking up guiltily as she speaks. "Mr. Rodgers, Miss Beckett, that is quite enough chatter out of your corner of the room. Really Miss Beckett, I expected more respect for your classmates who are trying to study, especially from you."
Kate was mortified to have been chastised by a teacher, especially for talking during work time. Obviously it was Alex's fault, not hers, so after mumbling an apology, she turned back to glare at the boy in front of her. He of course just shrugs, mouthing "It happens all the time" at her. Kate can only groan as she realizes she has to deal with him every day for the rest of the year. She's beginning to understand what he meant by people being glad there was only one of him.
By the end of the week she's ready to smack him every time he starts talking about comic books or fantasy movies. Sure, she liked Star Wars when she watched it with her dad, but is there really that much to discuss in three movies? And she's never even heard of most of the other things he's constantly bringing up, trying to explain to her. She's also had to side-step more than a few invitations to hang out with him after school. She usually claims she'll be too busy with the homework she's not able to finish in class anymore. Alex never seems to take the hint though, just keeps talking in class, and inviting her out after
After a week of too much homework and still not having been able to get her next book, she finally loses her patience and snaps at him. "Shut up, Alex!" She winces at the look of hurt on his face at her harsh words, but it did manage to make him stop talking for once. "I'm trying to finish my work in class, so I can finally go to the bookstore tonight. There's a book I've wanted for months, and you won't stop talking, so for the last week I've had too much homework to finish before my parents say it's too dark, and it looks like I'll have too much again tonight, so could you please just be quiet for once?"
He looks almost wounded across from her, but doesn't say anything as he nods. Of course, the silence only lasts a few minutes before he apparently can no longer keep himself from speaking. "What book were you going to buy?" he asks quietly, shrinking back a little from her glare. He looks almost scared of her, so with a sigh she relents.
"It's the newest "Kid of Tomorrow" book, "The Light in Space". It came out months ago, but I kept spending my allowance on other things. But now I have the money, and they said they were getting some in, and I really just want to read the book before the next one comes out." Kate half expects him to start asking about the books, especially because the titles make them sound a lot more science fiction-y than they really are, but he just nods and turns to his work, sitting silently for the rest of the class.
The next day Alex had somehow gotten to class before Kate, so when she walked in the first thing she notices is the small package on her desk, across from the uncharacteristically silent Alex. He doesn't say anything as she picks it up, giving him a puzzled look as she weighs it in her hands. He just shrugs, and mentions for her to keep going.
The first thing she notices when the wrapping falls open is the note on the front cover, a simple "I'm sorry" written in large letters, as if making sure she couldn't miss it. Glancing up at Alex once more, Kate slowly moves the note to the side, looking down to see a brand new copy of "The Light in Space".
"My mom lets me out a lot later than yours apparently do, so I grabbed it for you last night."
Kate finally manages to force out a "thank you" as she looks up to see him watching her nervously. As she speaks, his nervousness seems to vanish; replaced by the exuberance she's used to. But she couldn't be upset with him today; though she's sure she will be again by the end of the week. For now, she finds herself answering his questions about the book, keeping her voice low enough to avoid attracting the teacher's attention.
A week after the present of the book, Alex passes her a note while the teacher is busy writing on the board. Kate is surprised by the silent communication, by now being used to him blurting out whatever is on his mind, no matter what is going on in the classroom. Unfolding the scrap of paper, Kate can't help but roll her eyes as she reads. "Will you be my girlfriend?" is scrawled across the paper, as if he'd written it quickly, before losing his nerve.
Kate refuses to look up at the boy across from her, trying to figure out how to let him down gently, without being mean about it. Alex is nice, and a better friend than she'd thought he would be when he first walked into the class, but he's not what she thinks she'd want in a boyfriend. Especially not her first boyfriend. He never stops talking, and it's not even about things that she likes too. If she wanted a boyfriend who talked that much, she'd at least prefer that he talk about things she likes too. Although it would be nice to have a boyfriend who talked less than Alex does, Kate has to admit to herself.
Realizing just how long she's been staring at the piece of paper in front of her, Kate quickly picks up her pencil, scrawling a quick "no, just friends" on it before checking to make sure the teacher is still looking away and sliding it back across to him. She can't bring herself to watch as he reads it, knowing that even being nice about it will still hurt him. It's a quiet class after that, neither of them talking much.
But the next day is almost back to normal, with Alex going on about some game he's heard is coming out soon. Kate is only barely trying to follow his excited chatter, still worried she's hurt his feelings. But after the slight awkwardness of the first week after then note, things between them settle into a routine. Alex can't stop talking, earning at least one reprimand a week. Kate usually manages to speak quietly to avoid them, but even with her caution tends to get in trouble once a week. She can never figure out why the teacher doesn't move Alex to a new seat, but wonders occasionally because she knew only Kate would try to keep Alex somewhat quiet. Most of the others in the class would probably welcome his distractions.
And Kate had actually learned how to work on her homework even while he chattered at her. Not that she ignored him, she just gradually figured out how to split her attention. She wasn't as fast as she had been before he joined the class, but she could at least usually manage to finish her worksheets and start on her math. And she's figured out that after snapping and yelling at him, all she has to do is glare and he'll quit talking. It never lasts long, only a few minutes, but at least she can listen to the teacher while she explains something.
She's had to glare at him three times this class alone, trying to pay attention as the teacher explains the guidelines for their end of semester project. It seems straightforward enough, a diorama based on one of the books they've read over the semester, with a paper explaining the various elements of the setting and their impact on how the story developed. Kate figured the hardest part would be figuring out which book she wanted to pick.
"Now, this is going to be a large project, and a very intricate diorama. There is so much that will be expected of you in fact, that the diorama itself will be a joint project between seating pairs. The individual paper will be the biggest portion of the grade, but teams that help each other go above and beyond with the diorama will be eligible for extra credit. Additionally, each of you will want to keep track of every part of the diorama you are responsible for, and which areas you split with your partner. So don't think you can make your partner do all of the work and split the credit."
Alex looked far too excited for the joint project, Kate decides. She had been just as excited, until the teacher announced the group aspect of it. She knows Alex is smart; she's just not sure how dedicated he will be to making a great diorama. And he likes weird things, what if he chose one of the books she hadn't liked? She knows she can still do the assignment, but it would be so much harder if she was bored all through making it. Could she pick before he had a chance? Or would that be rude?
"Hey, since we have to do the project together, how about we each pick our favorite three, and see if any of them are the same for each other?"
Or they could do that, Kate supposes. Leave it to Alex to find such an easy solution. Kate probably would have either done the "nice" thing and let him pick, or dug her heels in and refused to budge from her pick. Apparently Alex is better at compromise than she tends to be.
"Sounds like a plan" she says quickly, grabbing the reading list from her folder and considering it. Picking her favorite might have been tough, but surely she can pick three. Quickly scrawling out the three she'd loved and remembered as having vivid settings that would be fun to recreate and analyze.
Alex offers his list to her when she finishes writing, and she smiles to see that they'd both written "Root of the West" first on their lists. Something about the book's descriptions of small towns and endless plains had captured her city born imagination. She couldn't see herself waking up anywhere but the city, with its constant hum of noise and comforting skyscrapers, but at the same time, she wondered. And she knows that she'll love analyzing the imagery from the project. She didn't know if Alex felt the same, or if he loved the gunfights scattered through the book. Whatever the reason, the rest of the class was spent discussing how to best the display the town and the desert.
They both agree both areas are vital to the story, and neither of them can see cutting either out of the diorama. By the time the bell rings, Kate knows that the project they've been designing will be massive, too large to finish in class.
"Hey Alex, I have to ask my parents, but if they're okay with it, do you want to come over to my apartment to work on this? There's no way we'll finish in class."
Alex looks more excited than Kate would have expected, and quickly nods his head. "I'll let my mom know, if your parents say it's alright, then I can come over tomorrow after school. Should I bring any supplies, or will it be another planning night?"
"Don't you have to ask your mom, not tell her?" Kate can't help but ask. She can't imagine telling her parents she was going somewhere, rather than asking.
"Nah" Alex shrugs, "she'll be out for her work anyway. I'll just let her know so she won't worry if the doorman says anything. Plus, she'll be delighted to hear that I'm not only actually visiting friends, but that I'll be working on school work that isn't likely to blow up in the kitchen."
Kate knows there has to be a story there, but like so many things Alex has said over the past months, she lets it go rather than get dragged into a longer conversation. There's only so much time between classes, after all. So rather than ask, she quickly writes down her address and hands it to him, before darting off into the crowded hallways and her next class.
The next few nights are spent at Kate's, laughing and struggling to keep the glue and other craft supplies off the carpet. Kate had been right, the diorama ended up being so massive that Alex volunteered to come over before school to help her carry it.
As they carry it into the school the day it's due, Alex can't stop smiling over the top at Kate. She glances at him quizzically, but he just shakes his head each time and tries to focus on where he's going. Not that it helped, the boy was clumsier than Kate had realized, stumbling around every corner and making Kate worry they'd drop the project.
They finally make it to the classroom, and Kate breathes a sigh of relief as they settle their diorama onto the table with the rest of the class's work. Theirs is by far the largest, but Kate sees a few that obviously had a lot of work put into them as well.
Kate looks up from her scrutiny of their classmate's work as Alex nervously clears his throat. "So, Kate. Um, I know I asked this a few weeks ago, but um, after doing this project I want to ask again. I had a lot of fun hanging out with you doing this project. And talking with you in class this semester. And I just wondered, I really like you, and wondered if you'd want to be my girlfriend."
Kate slowly shakes her head as he asks, knowing her answer hasn't changed. She values his friendship, annoying as it is, but can't see herself as his girlfriend. He still talks too much, about things she has no interest in. She can't bring herself to say it out loud though, knowing she's hurting him again.
Alex is silent, his face falling as he watches her. His shoulders sag, and he goes to turn away. Kate steps forward before he can turn completely away from her. "Hey, Alex. You're a good friend and I like spending time with you. But you're just my friend. I like spending time with you too. But you're just my friend. We'll still have class together; maybe have some more group projects to work on or something."
"But Kate, I start at my new school next semester. This week is my last one here."
Kate thinks for a minute, before grabbing a blank piece of paper from the table next to her. They've been studying checks in another class, and Kate quickly sketches out a check on the paper, payable to Alex in the amount of one favor. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Alex. And I'll miss you, I promise I will. And someday, maybe you'll be back at my school, and you can cash in on this. It's my way of saying sorry for hurting you. I wish I wasn't. So, someday I'll make it up to you. I owe you a favor, something to make you smile, as my apology for making you frown today."
Her words do get a small smile from him, and he takes the paper from her after only a second of hesitation. "I'll hold you to that. You didn't have to, but I'm still going to hold you to it."
