Alexis
She could take care of herself. She had learned that skill a long time ago, however, that didn't make seeing her Father turn away from them any easier. Every day was a struggle. He was never with them and when any of them came into the room he would immediately run for cover. It wasn't fair. They were made to live three years without him and now, with the way he was acting, it was as if they had never really gotten him back at all.
Joey didn't understand. She was much too young to comprehend exactly what was going on and she was still trying to figure out what this man meant to her. But Alexis' heart broke every time he chose to turn away.
It was hard on her, but she also saw how hard it was on Kate. She thought that she was hiding it from them, but Alexis saw right through the mask. She watched as her Father went to his office every night instead of to the master bedroom where his fiancé went. She knew that this was killing her and that sooner or later Kate was going to issue an ultimatum. She was fiercely protective of Joey, and of Alexis, and she wasn't sure how much longer she would keep this up. So she wasn't surprised when Kate followed her Father up the stairs that night.
She could hear the argument all the way in the living room and she felt her sister tense against her side. She tried to ignore it. She snuggled Joey closer and turned up the volume on the television, practically blaring Cinderella throughout the house. It seemed to work for the little girl as she was soon swept up into the story again, but it wasn't that easy for Alexis.
Her mind raced and she was dying to know what was going on upstairs. She prayed that her father would see reason and that he wouldn't make Kate take drastic action. She simply couldn't handle the thought of having to split her time between her father and the woman who had come to be her rock. There was no way that would work for her.
Those thoughts were selfish she knew but it didn't stop them from coming.
There were no words for her to describe the feeling she had two hours later, long after the credits had rolled and the movie had been changed to The Lion King, when her parents came down the stairs together and smiling. They made their way over to the couch hand in hand and sat down. Kate took Joey onto her lap and leaned her head down to rest on his shoulder. Her father had reached out and tugged her into his side. She let herself rest against him and closed her eyes in relief.
"Daddy?" She questioned, her voice sounding small and foreign to her own ears.
"I'm here, Pumpkin, and I'm not going anywhere. I'm not okay, yet, but I will be. No more worrying okay. I will always be here for you!"
She could still hear those words from all those months ago and that night replayed as clearly as if it had been yesterday as she made the trek from the city to the Hampton's house. She didn't mind the drive, actually enjoyed it. It gave her time to think and regroup.
When she was in the city she was all work. She didn't allow herself any time to relax or have fun. She went to class, went to her internship, did her homework, and studied for hours on end. She lived for the weekend. She spent every second of her weekends with her family. She played dolls and cars with her little sister, she went on walks down the beach and played games with her dad, and she cooked and talked endlessly with Kate about everything going on in her life. She attended Joey's therapy sessions and watched as the little girl improved week after week.
All the time she spent with her family made the long hours and sleepless nights worth it. Everyone at school called her crazy for doing all of the extra work it took for her to have every weekend off, but she knew better. She had it made. Her family was the best part of her life and she would do any amount of work it took to see them more often.
Every Friday night they ate dinner late, just so that she would be able to attend. Every week she pulled up in the driveway and Joey came racing out to meet her. She would jump up into Alexis' arms and hug her impossibly tight. As they walked inside, her Father was always waiting to take her bag and give her the biggest bear hug he could muster. And if that wasn't enough to make her feel loved completely, Kate coming out of the kitchen, apron on and spoon in hand, to drop a kiss on her head and hug her neck definitely would have done it. There was nothing better than that.
This time though she was even more excited than usual to arrive. It wasn't a Friday, in fact it was a Tuesday. She was cutting class and making the drive only for a few short hours in the Hamptons, though she was sure her family would convince her to stay once she arrived, but there was no way she was missing this. As soon as she picked up the phone a few hours earlier she knew that today marked a huge day in their family and there was no way she was going to miss out on that.
Kate
The changes she had seen in her daughter in the last year were amazing. The little girl had become a completely different child. After their last big fight Castle had become a constant presence in her life. It had taken the better part of the last year, but the pair had become closer and closer with every passing day. It had all started when Alexis had left for school the morning after the change.
They had stayed up half the night before, no one wanted to be the one to get up from their little pile. They were all just happy to be together. Eventually, though, it was mutually decided that they all needed to sleep more comfortably than in a pile on the couch.
Alexis took a sleeping Joey out of Kate's lap and up to bed. They slept snuggled together in Alexis' room a sight that was now Castle's screensaver on every electronic device he owned, which is surprisingly a lot.
Kate had fallen asleep hours before and Castle could not bear to wake her. She had been running herself ragged these last few weeks, so once his daughters disappeared up the stairs he slipped his arms under her knees and around her back. HE lifted her easily and she unconsciously snuggled into his warmth.
He walked slower than was necessary just to soak up these moments. He had missed this, all of this. She had been right here all this time and he had been wasting it. Now, there was nothing he wanted more than to stay snuggled up with her forever.
When he reached their room he slipped her under the covers and undressed to just his boxers and t-shirt to join her. He wrapped himself around her and kissed her hair. It didn't take long for him to follow her into a deep and uninterrupted sleep.
The morning came much too quickly for all of them. Alexis was the first up as she had a long drive ahead of her before her afternoon class. She took a shower and dressed quickly, leaving her little sister to sleep cuddled up in a pile of blankets and her little elephant. Before she left, she slipped into the master bedroom and found her parents still very much asleep.
She decided it wasn't worth it and scribbled out a note and a promise to call once she arrived back on the city. She left it on her Father's nightstand and slipped back out.
The next time someone stirred it was little Joey. She was upset to find her sister had left her and she didn't want to be by herself anymore. She jumped down off of her sister's huge bed and went in search of her Mommy.
She went down the hall and into the guest room. The door was already open so all she had to do was slip through. To her dismay the bed was still made and there was no sign of her Mother. She knew she wasn't allowed down the stairs and her Mommy normally woke her up before she went downstairs so that she could help with breakfast. Where else could she be?
She was running out of options when she came back out into the hall. But there was one room that she had not checked. She had never been in this room. Her mother always preferred to stay in the room she already checked, but there had been so many changes lately she didn't know what to think.
This door was closed, so she reached up and turned the handle. She wasn't sure what lay on the other side of this door. Her Mommy was always saying that you never knew what was on the other side of the door.
She walked into the biggest bedroom she had ever seen. There was a huge fireplace with a giant anchor inside. There was no fire in it and she was curious to see it when it was. She spent a few minutes in awe before she remembered her mission. She stepped farther inside the room and peeked over the side of the bed.
She saw the signature brunette curls of her Mommy and breathed a sigh of relief. She practically ran the last few steps up to the bed and decided how to proceed. She definitely needed some help to get up onto the bed.
Kate was fast asleep when she felt her covers being moved. She assumed it was Castle trying to be a cover hog again and so she lashed out and threw her elbow back into his chest. She was honestly not upset about the covers and could care less as long as Castle kept himself wrapped around her. She had the best night's sleep that she had in three years and she wasn't ready to let it go just yet.
Castle was wide awake after the elbow in the chest. He simply tightened his hold on Kate and used one of his hands to make sure she was fully snuggled down into the covers. She showed her appreciation by turning in his arms and snuggling against his chest.
That's when he saw her over Kate's head. Her piercing blue eyes were just peeking over the edge of the bed. When she caught his eyes her eyes widened and he could tell that she was confused about why he was in bed with her Mommy.
While they slept in the same bed at the loft it was only a few days and they were both up and about before Joey was awakened for breakfast. In the past few weeks they had been sleeping in separate rooms due to his seclusion and her stubborn streak. He hated to think of it now as there was no where he would rather be than in bed with Kate.
"Hey, sweetie." Castle kept his voice low and calm. His goal for the coming days was to make his little girl comfortable around him. He wanted to play with her, read to her, teach her how to drive Kate crazy, and cuddle up with her in front of a Disney movie with her on his lap. There were so many plans he had for her, and them as a family, but first he would need to earn her trust.
She had been doing well while they were in the hospital and he would never forget when she had looked into his eyes and he saw the awe and love she had for him. Since then it had disappeared as she had crawled into her shell. At first it was about her getting a little more comfortable with him, but now he knew that these last few weeks had forced her to erect her walls once again. Luckily, he had a pretty good record with the Beckett girl's walls.
"What are you up to this morning?" He didn't expect a response, but he knew it was better to ask questions and let her make decisions and answer in her head. It got her used to thinking in sentences so that when she was ready to speak she could and allowed her a little bit more time to think and decide.
He waited a moment for her answer. He had two options here. He could help her into the bed and allow her to cuddle up to her Mother for a while whilst he made breakfast or he could make this interesting. Of course, he decided to make it interesting.
He reached over and flipped a switch to turn on the electric blanket that he kept under the bed. He pulled it out and slipped out from under Kate. He replaced himself with the blanket wrapped around her and then got out of bed to turn on the fireplace. Also taking a moment to slip on some shorts while he was tending to Kate.
Johanna watched with fascination as her Father took care of her Mommy. Normally it was her Mother tucking her in and making sure she was comfortable. It was weird to see someone taking care of the person who had always taken care of her. Her Father looked at her Mom with a look of complete adoration and he seemed to be treating her like a princess.
Castle dropped a kiss to Kate's hair and then walked around to where Joey stood. She took a step back as he lowered himself to his knees so that he could look her in the eyes.
"Hey, Joey, I was just going to go downstairs and make your Mommy her most favorite breakfast. But, you know, I really need some help and I have heard that you are a wonderful Sous chef! Alexis used to have so much fun cracking the eggs and decorating the pancakes. We will make it like a surprise for Mommy. It can be a present for her. Do you think you could help me?" The little girl looked skeptical and to be honest, a little scared. He realized this was a big step for her and that it was a long shot. He didn't rush her and he was proud of his ability to hold back his convincing speech. He knew that too many words and loud voices would only scare her away.
Joey didn't really want to leave her Mother. But she was a little hungry and she wanted to surprise her Mommy. And she really wanted to decorate pancakes, she had only ever decorated cookies and cakes. And she wanted to be the one to crack the eggs. Alexis had taught her how and it was her favorite job to have in the kitchen. She was the only one her Mommy trusted to do it!
She looked up at her Father and gave a little nod of agreement. Her Mommy was right upstairs if she needed her and her Dad had already made sure that she would be safe and warm.
Castle could not be happier right now if he tried. His daughter had just agreed to make breakfast with him. He was sure that his smile would crack his face in half.
"Well then, Let's go!" He laughed and rose up to his full height and marched out of the room like a soldier. He got all the way to the top of the stairs before he looked back and saw Joey standing in the doorway. She was looking at him as if he had three heads. He stopped for a few moments and held his breath. He was kicking himself for going overboard, but then he was surprised again when Joey cracked a smile, picked up her knees, and marched herself all the way down the hall. Laughing as she went.
When Kate had woken up that morning she had been warm and happy. It took her a minute to realize that her warmth had nothing to do with her writer. Well that was not entirely true, it had most certainly been him that had wrapped her up tight.
She panicked when she couldn't find Johanna. She checked the little girl's room, Alexis' room, the guest room, and Martha's room (just for good measure) and she was nowhere to be found. She had no idea where she could have gone and just as she was about to panic a little bit she heard a crash from the kitchen and a little squeal from Joey.
She raced down the stairs to make sure she hadn't hurt herself, but she stopped in her tracks halfway down when she heard Rick's voice.
"Do you think that's enough whipped cream?" He said with the laugh clear in his voice. "No you're right, you're right! I love it! She will too. We are almost ready to bring it up to her. Just one more minute on the bacon, okay!"
She was dumbfounded. She couldn't believe that in a few short hours Castle had made a complete 180 and so had Joey, apparently. She was torn between going to join her family and going back upstairs so that they could surprise her. In the end she had decided to sneak a peek and then race back up to her bed.
The picture was one that had long since been framed and added to her collection of favorites. They were both thoroughly covered in flour with big smiles on their faces. Joey was holding a can of whipped cream and a giant pile of pancakes swimming in the white confection was sitting right in front of her. Castle was holding a spatula and smiling at Joey like she was his whole world.
She watched long enough to see him take her hand to help her jump off the couch. It wasn't a hug or a cuddle and it was far from affectionate, but it was a start.
That morning marked the beginning of a great friendship. Over the following weeks they only became closer. Everyone could see the adoration in both of their eyes for the other. Castle lived for Joey's smile and she hung on his every word.
Every morning since then, Joey creped into their room were Castle was more often than not waiting for her. Sometimes they would all cuddle up together. Which in the beginning was mainly Joey on Kate's lap while she cuddled up to Castle, but it evolved slowly into the little girl cuddling up in between her parents. Other mornings Kate would come downstairs to find them making breakfast and laughing together. It was the best time of her life.
They put her to bed together, they all played together, and Castle helped with her therapy exercises. When Alexis had come back the next weekend she was shocked and as happy as Kate had ever seen her. For Alexis that was the dream. After seeing her Father and sister together she knew that he was making an effort and he would not turn away from them again.
Today topped that morning, times ten! She didn't think she could get happier, but on this seemingly normal Tuesday morning she was proved wrong and she couldn't be happier about it.
Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for reading! I am thankful for each and every one of you who have read and supported this story!
All reviews welcome!
