I would like to thank everyone who has favorited and followed this story as well as the ones who have reviewed.

I have had a few reviews who have said that Kate is acting out of character and I feel I need to address that.

First since this is an AU story I feel I have a little leeway with the story.

Second as we know Kate and Castle had an enormous fight prior to Montgomery being shot. I don't feel that was properly addressed in cannon. As well, when he visited the hospital she said he should have let her go back in. When Castle said she would have been killed she said you don't know that.

Third when she returned she said that she had broken up with Josh, we don't know when that happened, but it was eluded to being before she went to the cabin.

Now I have never been shot, and I pray to GOD that I never am, but I can't help but think that being shot will have a profound effect on someone. That is my goal in this story, to see that she has been negatively affected. That she isn't making the best decisions but out hope is that she will see the light so to speak.

Again I own nothing.

Chapter 4

Alexis had been dreaming, dreaming of Stanford's quad and Ashley. They were sitting on the grass, leaning against a tree eating ice cream, when suddenly she was awakened. She was a little miffed that her dream was interrupted until she realized what, or rather who, woke her.

It was the baby monitor that her dad had installed in their rooms. Grams, Dad, and she had a receiver so they would all know when Alexandria woke up. It wasn't the usual style that most new families got. No, this one was a top of the line unit that had video, audio, and an alarm that sounded when an infrared beam was broken beside the bed. It alerted them when she got out of her bed. Each receiver had the ability to turn off the alarm which let the other "adults" in the loft know someone was up and headed to Alex's room. This morning it was she who answered the alarm first.

She stuck her head out of her door just in time to see a little head peek out from the door across the hall. "Hey Alex, you're up." She headed over and took her hand. "Let's get you changed." Alex just looked at her. "OH, I forgot! I'm so sorry." She repeated it again in Russian to Alex's delight.

After changing Alex's diaper Alexis took her hand and said, "Let's go see Daddy," which immediately brought a smile to the newest Castle's face. "Daddy!"

As they made their way down the stairs Alexis drew the toddler's attention to her. Putting her finger to her lips, she made a "shh" sound as they quietly entered their dad's room. He was on his back in a deep slumber with his mouth hanging open. Alexis almost hated to wake him. Almost. She could tell that Alex was chomping at the bit to get to him so she carefully lifted her onto the bed and waited for the fireworks. As soon as she let go Alex pounced, covering the distance from the foot to the head of the bed in what looked like one giant hop.

"Humph!" was the first sound emitted from the bed followed closely by the beautiful sound of giggles from the youngest Castle. He slid to the middle of the bed while drawing Alexandria into a deep hug. As he started to release her, his hand went up in the air. His fingers began opening and closing, all the while getting closer to Alex. "What is that Alex?" his hand moving painfully slow in the direction of her belly while Alex's giggles got louder. "Do you know what that is?"

She shook her head. "Nyet!" He just looked at her and she replied, "No!" Alexis spoke up, "That's right Alexandria, 'Nyet' is 'No.'" The young girl turned to Alexis and smiled. That was all the break that Castle needed. His hand swooped down onto her belly while he yelled, "Tickle monster!" That was closely followed by the squeal of the little girl crying out "Stop" in English.

Castle let out a laugh and leashed the tickle monster. He pulled her close to him as Alexis climbed into bed on his other side. He reached out and pulled her up against the right side of his chest with Alex on the left. "I could get used to waking up like this."

He felt the covers on his belly start to move and a squeal rang out. "Ickle Monster!" He looked over at his younger daughter who was concentrating on tickling him so much that her tongue had slipped out of her mouth. What he didn't see was his oldest daughter positioning her hands to help her sister. "Tickle Monster!" That was the cry that came from his right as Alexis joined in the fun. She had him pinned, and since she knew his most ticklish spots, it didn't take long for him to cry uncle. As they all settled down, Castle looked at Alexis. "Did you, by any chance, change her?" Rolling her eyes in a manner that could only be described as "Beckettesque," she sighed, "Dad, of course I did."

"Thanks Pumpkin."

He laid there for some time with both his girls wrapped up in his arms. It was long enough that he felt Alexandria fall asleep, but he never felt the tension leave Alexis. He turned his head so he could look at his elder daughter. "What are you thinking about so hard over there?" When she didn't answer immediately, he decided to wait her out.

Finally Alexis spoke, "Dad, I don't want Detective Beckett back in our home." Castle had expected that his redheaded daughter would be upset by the events of last night. But he honestly expected it to be at the good doctor, not Kate. After all it wasn't Kate who proposed in his living room, it was Dr. Motorcycle Boy. "Pumpkin, what's gotten into you?"

She raised her head to look him in the eye. "What's gotten into me? What's gotten into her? How could she do that?"

"Do what Alexis? What did she do? She didn't propose to him, it was the other way around."

"She knows that you love her and she is still marrying someone else. How could she do that to you?" He could swear he saw steam escaping from her ears as she finished speaking. He began to draw soothing circles on her back and as he felt the tension leave her, he spoke, "I have never told her how I feel. There isn't any way she could know."

"That's not true Dad. I heard you at the funeral, I heard you tell her you love her. I know that Lanie heard you too. I'm pretty sure that Ryan and Esposito heard you as well." He sighed and closed his eyes. "Yeah I did, but that doesn't mean she heard me."

"She shouldn't need to hear you. She has three years' worth of your actions to prove it to her."

He opened his eyes, turned to her, and began to speak. He used the voice he used when she was much younger. The one where he put forth a scenario and tried to get her to come to the conclusion that he wanted her to. "Alexis, love doesn't work that way. Just because I love someone does not mean it will be returned. Now what is the name for that kind of love?" She answered in a whisper. "Unrequited."

"That's right, unrequited. Kate has the right to love whomever she wishes and we as her friends will support her. I know that it seems terrible to you that I could love someone and she not love me, but it isn't. I just want Kate to be happy, and if her fiancé makes her happy, well then, I will support her. And if I can, so can you." He pulled her tighter to his chest and placed a kiss on her head. "Can you do that for me, please?"

"Yeah Dad, I think I can." She let out a sigh.

"I'm not so sure she has a fiancé kiddo. I never heard her say 'Yes.' She just thanked us for the invitation and hauled him out in what I could only call a fit of rage," Martha said mildly.

"Mother, you don't ask a woman to marry you unless you're pretty sure of the answer. And you damn sure don't ask a woman like Kate Beckett."

Martha hummed into her coffee. "Need I remind you of Kyra Blaine?" Then she took a long draught from her cup.

He looked at his mother with a little resentment before being distracted. Alexis put her hand over his mouth. "Don't say another word. You already have to put a ten into the Cuss Jar."

"A ten? It was only a dollar when you were a kid." She grinned. "Inflation!"

Xx

Kate was sitting at the table sipping her coffee and reading the paper. It wasn't her usual morning coffee, the one that Castle brought her. No, this was one that Josh had made her before he got into the shower. He was on shift tonight and needed to head home before going to work.

She read the paper, well she wasn't really reading, just staring at the same article for the past ten minutes. All she could see was the expression on Castle's face when Josh proposed. It was only there for a split second before he stilled his expression and a mask went up.

She was shaken from her thoughts as Josh entered the kitchen. "What are you reading?"

"Oh nothing really, just skimming over everything. Nothing's caught my attention yet." That was a lie, and she was sure he knew it.

"Listen Kate, I'm really sorry about what happened last night. I truly thought that I was doing the right thing. The last thing I wanted to do was upset you. We're supposed to be happy this morning. There isn't supposed to be all this tension between us."

She rose and headed for the coffee pot, pouring out her coffee in the sink along the way. "I really don't want to talk about it, okay?" She filled her cup and grabbed the creamer. It wasn't vanilla but it would have to do.

She felt Josh's powerful arms snake around her. She closed her eyes as he placed a kiss upon her head. Anyone watching would think that she was relishing the moment, but all she wanted was for him to release her.

"I couldn't help but notice that you didn't give me an answer last night." He smiled into her hair knowing what she was about to say. But he wasn't rewarded with what he expected.

"No, I didn't Josh." She shrugged herself loose and returned to her paper. He sat down beside her and asked, "Well, are you?" She folded up her paper as she tried to still her emotions. "This is all so unexpected. We've only known each other a year and we've never talked about marriage before. I don't know if you want kids; hell, I don't know if I want kids."

"Kate, you know how I feel about you, and I know you love me too. Isn't that enough?"

'He knows I love him too? Hell, I don't even know if I love him, she thought. She started to speak but was silenced when he placed a finger upon her mouth. "Don't answer now, take a week or two and let me know. You know I'm not going anywhere."

He rose and headed for the door, stopping before he left. "What are you going to do today?"

She looked at the table and saw her copy of Heat Rises. "I think I'm going to the park for a while." She left out the part about reading Castle's latest book. "That's good. I want you to enjoy yourself. Call me later, please." He smiled inwardly. 'She's going to the park to think. It shouldn't take too long for her to say yes,' he thought gleefully.

Xx

Beckett was wandering through Columbus Park when she saw a familiar figure sitting on a park bench. Seeing him, she began to feel his pull, his magnetism. She was drawn to him as metal shavings are drawn to a magnet. As she neared him, he looked up from watching Alex and that smile crept up on his face. The one that she loved. The one that started at the corner of his mouth and stretched to the little crinkles in the corners of his eyes. The crinkles that form from squinting too much, like squinting while looking at a computer.

"Hey." She motioned to the bench. "This seat taken?" He moved Alex's mobile command center, as he had taken to calling her stroller, out of the way to allow Kate to sit. "What are you doing here Beckett?"

"Oh, when I got home from the cabin there was a new book on my table. I thought I would find a quiet spot and read it." She smiled and held up her copy of Heat Rises. "You wouldn't know how it got there, would you?"

He grinned mischievously. "You have to watch out for those book faries. They're sneaky little bastards!" Then he realized what he said. "Damn. That's gonna cost me ten dollars." She looked at him quizzically. "Cuss Jar." Pointing at Alexandria who was sitting on a blanket playing with a doll. "Costs me ten every time I say a bad word. It was only a dollar with Alexis, inflation." She grinned. "It's twenty not ten. You swore twice." He thought back and smiled. "That's not a bad word Kate."

"It was when I was a kid, and I'm guessing you didn't let Alexis say it until high school."

He laughed. "She still better not be saying it."

They sat in silence for a while watching Alex play. Kate looked over at him, regarding the love in his eyes for his newest daughter and it overwhelmed her. "Rick, what you have done for Alex is outstanding. You're an amazing man, Richard Castle."

"I just want her to have every opportunity I gave Alexis without the mistakes that I made." She turned back to look at Alexandria. "Well, it can't be easy being a single father." He looked over at her. "It wasn't, but this time around I think I know where I can do a better job. Not that Alexis turned out bad, she's an incredible young woman in spite of what I did."

"Castle, may I ask you a personal question?"

"Anything, you can ask me anything. You know that."

She paused, staring at Alex who was lost in her little world. "What happened with Meredith?"

"Wow, Beckett. When you ask a personal question you go for the big ones, don't you." Feeling like she had overstepped, she backtracked. "I'm sorry Castle, I shouldn't have."

"No Kate, it's okay. I met Meredith in LA. I was invited out by a couple of producers who wanted to turn Storm into a movie." She looked at him, quirked her eyebrow in a question, but didn't say a word.

"I met with them and came away less than impressed. In a last ditch effort they took me to a party and she was there. We hit it off. We danced, drank, and I ended up on her couch that night. It hadn't been all that long since the Kyra thing and well… I can write from anywhere and she was exciting. So I stayed out there. After a few months, it was all but over when she got pregnant. She didn't want to get pregnant, but to her credit, she never thought about not having her."

He paused and Beckett asked if he wanted a coffee. He started to get up, but she stopped him. "I think I owe you about a hundred coffees; I've got this one." As she walked away, he reached for her book and pulled out a pen. After signing it, he put a hundred dollar bill within the pages. 'I always buy the coffee,' he mused.

As she sat down and handed him his coffee, he continued. "I wanted to do the right thing so I asked her to marry me. I bought us a house in Bel Air and we started our perfect little family," he said snidely. "That all came to an end when Alexis was about one. Meredith isn't an A-list actor, hell I don't think she's even a C-lister." Looking at Alex, he sighed, "That cost me another ten. Anyway. When you're the caliber of actor she is you can only get parts if you know the producers personally or you use the casting couch. Let's just say she didn't know any producers." Kate's hand went to her mouth. "Oh, Castle."

"I went to play golf and left her with Meredith. I got home a couple of hours early and when I walked in I heard Alexis crying. As I went to her room I caught sight of Meredith half-naked riding a man on our couch. After changing Alexis, I went back to the den for the inevitable fight. At least he had the good sense to head for the hills but Meredith was another story. She said that was just the way things were done in Hollywood and I would have to get over it. I just stared at her, I couldn't believe what she'd said. I packed up Alexis, headed for New York, and Mother's home. I told Meredith when she got her priorities right to give me a call. About a month later I was served with divorce papers. She claimed abandonment and asked for the house, two million, and ten thousand a month in spousal support."

"Spousal support? Are you kidding me?" Beckett was indignant.

"Yeah, until Alexis turns eighteen which is in a couple of weeks, so I expect to see Meredith here anytime now." Beckett questioned him with a look and he continued. "I think when I told her to call me when she got her priorities right, she thought she could come back any time."

"You're joking, right?"

"No, she just… Well, she's just Meredith." He shrugged. "With Alex now, I think it will be eye opener for her."

Before Kate could speak, Alex crawled up in her dad's arms and said, "Daddy Cok. KK Cok."

Hearing that Alex remembered the name she had given her made Kate smile. He reached for his Russian to English pocket dictionary, but before he could find it, Beckett spoke, "Juice, Castle. I think she wants juice." He reached into Alexandria's bag and pulled out a sippy-cup. She grabbed it and started drinking. He turned to Kate. "That is so hot! I forget you speak Russian."

As Alex continued to drink she began to fall asleep. Kate smiled and said, "I think she's out, Castle."

He looked down and smiled. "I think I need to take her home." He placed her in the stroller and turned to Beckett. "It's been a pleasure Detective."

"It sure has. Have a great night Rick."

"You too, Kate." And with that he started down the path to the entrance to the park.

When he was out of sight she opened her book and saw that he'd signed her book. A smile broke across her face; that was until she found the hundred dollar bill. "Son of a bitch. Great. Now I owe her ten."

Xx

Thoughts?

I know that this one was a little fluffy but I think that they both need that right now.