DISCLAIMER: I OWN MAKENNA.
A/N: I thought I updated this...i'm sorry and i'm back.
Kate Beckett was rarely at a loss for words or direction but as she stared at Rick Castle she felt as if she didn't know anything anymore. Within the past 24 hours she found out her childhood bestfriends little sister was murdered and she suddenly had custody of her 5 year old god-daughter. All the while trying to be a cop and a girlfriend. Within the bounds of her job Kate Beckett was used to informing families that their loved ones were gone, murdered; taken from them for reasons they didn't yet know and might not ever understand. Though, this time was different, completely so. She had to tell a 5 year old that her Mommy wasn't coming home and that she had to move in with a women she hadn't seen since her baptism.
"Kate.."
Castle pulled her out of her own head as she stood in the middle of the precinct staring into the breakroom where Makenna was seated on the couch licking her fingers with icecream remnants still slightly on her face.
"..I can go in with you, you know help you tell her?"
Kate smiled up at Castle, but it wasn't the smiles he was used to seeing, not a smile of joy and laughter and love. This was the smile of sadness, a woman thrown up against a wall between things she didn't want to do; but all the same didn't have a choice.
"Thank you Castle, but I really think I need to do this; alone."
Alone. Not a word Kate was used to recently; since she joined the New York Police Academy she had been surrounded by her new brothers and sisters. The force had been her new family, and recently there was Rick Castle. Now, there was Makenna. An innocent 5 year old girl caught in the crossfire, whose life was about to change. She opened the door to the break room and the child in question looked up at her and gave her a grin, Kate noticed for the first time she was missing 2 teeth.
"Hey kiddo, you've got icecream on your face."
Makenna took her hands and tried rubbing the icecream off before Kate bent down in front of her; and removed the ice cream from her face and fingers with a wet paper towel.
"Makenna, can I talk to you for a minute?"
She was met with big crystal eyes looking back at her own eyes with a simple "sure" in response,
"Do you know what heaven is?"
Makenna responded by nodding her head in a rapid motion
"What is it?"
"It's where Grandma and Grandpa live. It's where all the angels are."
Kate smiled a little bit, it was refreshing to hear the innocence in somebody's voice, but she couldn't help but think that she was about to take it away.
"Kenna, did your Mommy tell you anything else when she gave you that CD?"
Again she was met with the nodding of the head and a murmed "yes" before the child continued
"She told me I might be staying with you for a while"
"And did she tell you why that was?"
"Because she was going to go and visit Grandma and Grandpa" As Makenna said this her eyes widened and a whispered "oh" was heard, everything finally clicking in her head. Her eyes began to fill with tears,
"Auntie Kate, did my Mommy die?"
Kate was taken aback, she wasn't ready for the abruptness to come from the child's mouth and tears starting to again escape from her eyes too,
"I'm sorry sweetheart. She passed away. I'm so sorry."
Kate didn't know why she was apologizing, she never really understood when people said that. It wasn't their fault. There wasn't anything they could have done, but it was just something you said and somehow it made things a little bit better. Makenna pushed herself into Kate's side and wrapped her little arms around her as Kate pulled her the rest of the way into her lap and leaned back into the couch as she turned her head towards the windows and saw Castle looking back at her with pain in his eyes. The two girls just sat together for around an hour while Makenna cried, leaving a wet circle on Kate's blouse. Eventually her breathing closed and the sobbing stopped, she had cried herself to sleep. Kate laid her down on the couch and walked out of the room to be met with Castle and Captain Gates.
"Detective Bekett take the rest of the day off."
The Detective met the eyes of the Captain when she was about to protest and insist that she needed to work this case a tap met her shoulder, it was Castle
"Kate, just take the day off. Makenna is passed out from crying on the break room couch. You can't let her sleep like that all day."
Kate bit her lip and looked back at the child, realizing he was right. Not even done with her first day on the job and she was already making the wrong decisions.
"Thank you Captain Gates."
Castle looked at Kate and saw the exasperation in her eyes, he moved towards her and gave her an innocent hug and she tried to resist, because in her mind it was completely unproffesional but in the end surrendered herself to his embrace. After a moment they pulled away from eachother and with a nonverbal agreement started towards Makenna. Kate grabbing the girls backpack and Rick picking up the sleeping child, much like the way he used to hold Alexis all of those years ago. They took the elevator to the parking garage and moved towards Kate's car, she opened the door as Rick placed Makenna into the car seat that was put in there at the babysitters house and as she was buckled in Kate handed Castle the keys and got in the other door of the back seat,
"I'm just gonna uh sit back here, you know; incase she wakes up."
Castle chuckled to himself hearing her say this, because no matter what she thought she was going to do a great job raising this little girl. He put the car in drive and looked in the rear view; noticing she wasn't paying attention to anything but Makenna. Then he made the decision to turn right onto the road, towards his loft instead of left towards her apartment. She finally looked up when they were on his street and wasn't too impressed at what she saw
"Castle what are you doing?"
"Taking the two of you home."
She completely looked over the fact that he had referred to his loft as their home.
"Castle, I am capable of doing this by myself. Take me to my apartment."
"No."
She was shocked, normally he was a little more wordy than 'no'
"What do you mean no?"
"I mean no. You're coming back with me. Kate be honest your apartment is asking for her to fall over and get hurt. It isn't child proofed."
It seemed like the first time this thought occured to her and she hung her head and groaned.
"But Alexis..."
"She'll understand."
"Your Mother.."
"She'll have a field day."
Kate's eyes connected with Castle's in the rear view just as they pulled into his parking garage
"Thank you."
Castle looked back at her as he put the car into park and came around the back to pick up Makenna who was still sound asleep and the three of them made their way into the elevator that would bring them up to Castle's home. They got to the door and stopped for a moment. They opened the door and Castle walked in first holding Makenna in his arms with Kate walking behind him; upon seeing Alexis sitting on the couch reading a book he raised his pointed finger to his mouth in a shushing motion and Alexis raised her eyebrow; clearly confused. He ushered Kate towards the couch while he moved towards his own bedroom because he figured Kate didn't want to be far in case the girl needed her when she woke up, he put her on the bed and encased her in blankets before exiting the room to join his girlfriend and daughter on the couch.
"Dad, who's that?"
With Alexis sitting cross legged on the couch and him and Kate in the 2 chairs across from her the explaination process began. It was Kate who spoke first
"That's my god-daughter"
Alexis looked more confused than she already was, Kate Beckett rarely mentioned family; especially extended family.
"What's going on?"
Rick just sat in his chair and looked at Kate, clearly not trying to take over. She glanced back at the open bedroom door before lowering her voice a little bit,
"I got called to a crime scene today, and I knew the victim. She was my childhood bestfriend's little sister, basically my little sister. She was only 23. That's her daughter Makenna. She left her in my custody when she died. Your dad seemed to think that bringing her here was safer than my place because apparently I live in a safety hazard. If you don't feel comfortable having her here I can take her to my apartment; or maybe to my Dad's..."
Alexis cut Kate off right there with a semi offended look,
"Kate. Stop. There's plenty of room here and you stay here a lot anyway. It'll be fun. She'll be like the little sister Dad never gave me."
Kate was the one too look confused now, then it finally clicked. Alexis thought they were moving in, perminantly.
"Alexis, that's sweet but it's just temporary. A couple of days while I child proof my apartment."
Alexis looked from her Dad to Kate and locked her eyes with the Detectives as she saw a small figure rubbing her eyes walking out of her Dad's bedroom. She gave an audible "mhm" with a chin push towards the girl, her way of letting the adults know they had company. Makena walked towards them, moving to stand right in front of Kate, climbing up into her lap,
"Auntie Kate is this my new home?"
Kate looked at the girl dumbfounded, wondering exactly what she had heard during their conversation, she brushed the girls brownish red hair away from her face and rested her hand on her thigh and was about to respond but was interupted by Castle
"Yes kiddo it is."
Kate's head snapped up to look at Castle and saw his eyes moving up from the small girls face, who seemed to accept his proclimationn as an adequate answer and started playing with the hem on Kate's shirt. Castle looked at Alexis who was staring wide eyed at her father.
"Alexis can you take Makenna upstairs, maybe show her your old dolls?"
"Uh, yeah, sure Dad."
Kate and Rick both watched the girls retreat up the stairs, Alexis holding Makenna's hand guiding the sleepy girl up towards the promised toys.
"Castle what the hell?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? You can't just tell her that she's going to live here when we're only going to be here for a few days tops. She's fragile and is going to get attached and i'm going to be the bad guy. We can't keep changing her surroundings"
Castle started to laugh, which only seemed to anger Kate further.
"What exactly is funny Rick?"
"You. You sound like a mother. Oh, and you just said 'We can't change her surroundings' and that just brings me to my point. We're in this together. Kate come on, just let yourself realize that i'm not leaving."
"Castle what are you talking about."
"Move in with me Kate."
Her heart stopped and the color drained from her face.
"What?"
"You heard Alexis, Kate. We have plenty of room, she can have her own room and she said it herself; she would have a support system at her disposal 24/7 and so would you. Plus, do you really want to child-proof your entire apartment?"
Kate blew air towards nothing inparticular and muttered an almost silent "no"
"Exactly. So move in Kate. You belong here, Makenna belongs here."
"Okay."
Castle looked at her and his face lit up, but he was sure he heard her wrong; this was Kate Beckett they were talking about.
"What did you say?"
"I said, Okay Castle we'll move in with you."
Rick got up from his chair in one swift motion and pulled Kate up from hers into a bone crushing hug, with much of the same enthusiasm of a child. Only pulling apart when they were interupted by a voice from the stairs,
"Uh Dad, Makenna wanted to show you and Kate what we did."
Rick and Kate turned to the stairs and burst out laughing at the scene laid out in front of them.
A/N: What were they met with?! Guess you'll find out in chapter 4. Dont forget to review! Want to see anything happen? Any pointers/comments/criticism? Put it in a review of drop me a PM. Thank You so much!
-Cia