Chapter Two

Rick's heart pounded in fear as he ran to the bedroom. His first irrational thought was that Cole Maddox had come after Kate. His reasonable mind knew that was impossible. He lived in a secure building and he would have seen or heard anyone enter the loft...but in four years he had never once heard Kate scream like that. He skidded to a halt at the bedroom doorway. Rick was alarmed to see the woman he loved huddled into a tiny ball on the floor beside the bed, shaking in fear and crying. Did she have a nightmare about the battle on the roof with Maddox or was she in pain from her injuries?

He knelt in front of her and gently lifted her head up. "Kate!" He was stunned to see her eyes were red and swollen from crying. "Oh my God, what is wrong? Are you in pain?"

"Rick?" She looked up as tears continued to stream down and starred at him in disbelief. Kate lifted an unsteady hand to his cheek. Her eyes grew wider as her fingers touched him.

"Yes, my love, I am right here." He pressed his hand against her fingers on his cheek. Whatever he was going to say to her, the words were cut off as Kate launched herself at him just as she had the night before. Her kiss was deep and passionate but even more desperate than the previous night. When they finally broke apart to breathe, she leaned against him still clutching at his shirt and whispered over and over, "Rick, you're really here, you're OK? I...it must have been a dream...I thought I lost you. Hold me, please!"

Pulling her tightly to him, he was baffled. "Me? I'm fine. I'm worried about you. Are you in pain…your back?" He saw the bruise on her back looked much worse. He tried to pull back to see her eyes but Kate wound her arms around his neck so tightly, Rick couldn't move much. Rocking her gently, he spoke softly, "Shhhh Kate, don't cry. It was just a bad dream, I'm here. I will always be here for you, I love you."

Alexis arrived at the bedroom doorway to see her father kneeling on the floor in front of someone wrapped tightly around him. She walked further into the room and saw Kate Beckett crying and clinging to her father. The t-shirt she wore was several sizes too big. Before she had a chance to think about the implications of that fact, Alexis noticed that the skin on Kate's arm, neck, shoulder and especially her back were covered in bruises. She was bruised so badly that Alexis immediately pulled out her phone to call Dr. Parrish.

She quietly backed out of the room to give Kate and her dad some privacy. She couldn't help but frown as she heard her father use his "gentle voice" trying to soothe Kate. When Alexis was younger and had a bad dream or if she was sick, her father would hold her and talk to her in that same "gentle voice" until she drifted into sleep. It rubbed her the wrong way that her father was holding Kate and talking to her like that. A part of her was unhappy with the thought of sharing her father with anyone. His devotion to her had always been absolute. Even when he was briefly married to Gina, his second wife, she had always came first. Alexis knew she had her father's undivided love and attention growing up but she wasn't a kid anymore. Alexis didn't want her dad to be alone or unhappy when she left for Columbia...

"Lanie Parrsh!" The voice of her former boss snapped Alexis out of the tug of war between her mind and heart.

"Hi Lanie, it's Alexis!"

"Well hello little Castle, you miss me so much, you called just to hear my voice?"

"No…I mean yes, I miss you but that's not why I called."

"Honey, what's wrong? Are you OK?"

"It's not about me…it's Kate!"

"Do you know where she is? She is not answering her phone and no one can find her."

"She is here at the loft, with my Dad…but she is hurt. There are bruises everywhere. It looks bad, really bad! She might have internal injuries. Can you come over, please?"

"I am on my way, you keep Kate still until I get there. Sit on her if you have to."

Alexis held onto the phone, staring at it long after the call had ended. Maybe she should have checked with her dad first before calling Lanie? Well, it was too late to undo that now. She was tired after the party last night but she needed to wait up to let Lanie in and check on Kate. She walked to the breakfast bar and moved the leftover pizza from the counter to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. Sitting on the couch, Alexis closed her eyes but the memory of all the angry bruises on Kate made her quickly open them again. It didn't take a Columbia graduate to figure out that things had changed between her dad and Kate. They were more than partners now. She didn't need the rumpled bed or Kate was in her father's t-shirt and very little else to figure that out. She didn't want her dad to be hurt but with Kate...it just seemed like no matter how hard her father tried to make her happy, he just got sadder and sadder. Alexis missed the way he used to be, silly, funny...happy.

Over the years she had seen a lot of women throw themselves at "Rick Castle". His picture was always in the paper as one of New York's most eligible bachelors. She smiled at all the memories. He would often arrive at some glamorous party with an eager starlet or boring social climber on his arm. Once the press was done taking pictures, he would usually ditch his date and come find her. When she was younger, her dad would take her home, read to her until she fell asleep and then returned to the party. As she got older they would find a quiet corner, eat ice cream and make up outrageous stories about the other party goers. Lately, Alexis would leave the parties because she was bored, had homework to do or needed to be up early for school. Her dad often came home very late but she could count on one hand the times he did not return until the next morning.

He had been her nanny, playmate and best friend growing up. She was his sounding board on ideas and new storylines. Alexis helped him research ideas and together they tried all the best and latest toys. When she was ten, he bought her a Star Wars light saber. Within a few years they progressed to real swords and now they had the top of the line laser tag gear. All those "silly games" with her dad had given her the opportunity to apply to the fencing club at Columbia. Her grandmother often called her father "just a big kid" and despaired that he would ever grow up but that was one of the things she liked the best about him. Yes, he did act like a kid sometimes but he learned how to be mother and father to her when they moved to New York together. He took her to ballet class, zoos, museums and the playground. He would often play with her and the other kids. Best of all he never disappeared or even complained when his loft was overrun with several of her friends for sleepovers.

For Alexis, what made her dad so special was that he was always there when she needed him most. All the times her mother forgot her dance or violins recitals after she promised to come or when she forgot to come or call on her birthdays. Usually Meredith remembered or was reminded a few days or sometimes even a few weeks afterward. Her mother was always much too busy filming somewhere to come visit when she graduated from grade school or to help her get ready for her first prom and no big surprise, she didn't show up yesterday for her High School graduation either. A gift or check from her mother would arrive sometime soon from an exotic locale.

Her dad just knew when she needed a hug or to be held. He also wasn't afraid to admit when he needed help. Alexis blushed as she remembered them going to get her first bra. The next day they got a surprise visit from her grandmother and the problem was solved. Gram was there to help Alexis through her first period and when she had to explain to her father that she was just too grown up to shop in children's department anymore. He was sweet, kind and gentle, just a great dad. Alexis wanted him happy but it would be very hard to let anyone else into their very private club. Her dad had once joked about their club, it had just two members. He called it "You and Me against the world". It had been just the two of them for so long. She was stunned to think that maybe he wanted to have more kids with Kate. Growing up Alexis had always wanted a little brother or sister but now she understood the reality, that she would have to share her father not only with Kate but also with their kids. Alexis did not like how selfish and petty those thoughts made her feel.

A knock at the door snapped her from her thoughts and memories.