Chapter 9

True to her text, Alexis was back at the loft when she said she would be. She came in looking much more subdued than she did when she left.

"Hi," she said quietly when she saw Kate and Castle on the sofa, and they both greeted her as if her accusations toward Kate had never been made.

Kate moved away from Castle and made a space for Alexis between them. "Come join us?" she asked, patting the empty space beside her.

"I don't deserve for you to be that nice to me," Alexis answered. "Kate, I owe you a huge apology."

"Not necessary," Kate responded. "I understand."

"Dr. Parish said you would. I knew she'd be in early," she said as she sat down, looking embarrassed. "I went and talked to her before I met Buttons this morning."

"So that's where you went in such a hurry?" Castle asked.

"Yeah. I was too stubborn to tell you I was trying to work it out."

"Wonder where she got that?" Kate commented with a smile.

Castle laughed and pulled Alexis to him for a kiss on the forehead, then Kate held her arms out and Alexis hugged her tightly, a few tears falling as she apologized again. "I'm so sorry I said all those things."

"It's okay. I can see how it would look like that to you. Do you want to start over and hear everything now?"

"Yeah. That would be good."

Castle put an arm around Alexis' shoulders, and Kate had one hand resting comfortingly on her arm.

"First," Castle began, "Kate and I are getting married."

"And I'm happy for you. You should have done that already."

"Second, Kate got a practically once-in-a-lifetime offer from an under the radar federal task force. It's a big step in her career, and she deserves the opportunity to take it; and if I'm going to be her partner for life, I need to back her up the same way I've backed you up. It doesn't mean I won't still be around to do that for you, too."

Alexis just nodded, looking down as she listened.

"We're going to spend some time in DC while she's getting herself established in the new job, and we'll be finding a place to live; but we've already decided that we won't even consider a place that doesn't have a room to call yours any time you want to be there. We're not trying to leave you out, understand?"

She nodded again, and her dad continued.

"There will be a lot of travelling in Kate's job, and with the new book coming out in about three months; I'll be doing some travelling, too. We're going to have to work hard at a marriage, but neither of us wants to give up. We'll figure it out as we go. I'll be in DC part-time and here part-time. We still have a lot of decisions to make, and having you on our side while we do that will make it a lot easier. We're open to ideas if you have them."

"You're part of the Richard Castle package, Alexis…you and Martha. I expect to marry into the family, not to just marry your father."

"That's what Grams said last night. She said you're the first woman who wanted to marry the man, not the man's image and money…that you're the only one he's completely trusted with me. I know she's right, and I want you to marry the whole family, too."

"One more thing we agree on," Kate answered.

"None of this was something we intended to do behind your back, honey," her father assured her. "The interview offer came just a couple of days ago, and…"

"And you were right," Kate interrupted. "I handled it badly and hurt your dad again…another fight and more to forgive, but we've worked through that for the time being. My intentions weren't at all bad, but they weren't as well thought out as they should have been. I'm still learning how to have a good relationship, and your father loves me enough to tolerate that. I don't know where he finds that much patience."

"Kate had some reasons to feel hurt, too. We're working on it," Castle added in her defense. And we'll keep working at it. We're not giving up."

"There wasn't much time to make decisions," Kate explained. "The interview offer came out of the blue, and the job offer was close on its heels, I had to talk to your father to know where we stood…and I had to give them an answer by this afternoon."

"It must have been some interview," Alexis said with a little smile. "You must have made quite an impression."

"Does that surprise you?" Castle asked.

"No. I'd be surprised if they didn't offer her the job," Alexis answered. "Kate's impressive."

Castle smiled and looked over his daughter's head at Kate, mouthing, "Told you so."

She smiled back and squeezed Alexis' arm, saying, "Thank you. You're pretty impressive yourself."

"I wasn't so impressive last night."

"Different kind of impressive last night," Kate said, pushing at her shoulder to be sure Alexis knew she was joking, then she moved her arm to the back of the sofa to stroke her almost stepdaughter's hair. "You were hurt and worried last night. I know what that's like, so it's history we never have to revisit, Okay?"

"Okay."

"You'll be gone most of the time we're initially in DC, so you won't miss us then. You leave next Sunday morning. Kate starts with the task force that Monday," Castle told his daughter. "We'll be back here Friday night, see you off on Sunday, then drive back to DC in the afternoon. By the time you get back from Costa Rica, things should be in better shape. Then we can all work at it together. Now that we have the vague outline of a plan, we'll keep you informed…promise."

"Will you send pictures of the places you're looking at?"

"Sure. You can fly down and look at them with us if you want. We'll take you when we've narrowed it down to two or three…maybe Wednesday?" Castle kissed the top of her head and asked, "So are we okay again?"

"We're okay. I should have listened last night and saved us all the drama."

"History," Kate repeated. "We'll come and get you when we're talking about plans again. A third point of view can't hurt."

"I'm going to change clothes and read for a while…get out of your hair. Let me know if you want help with dinner." She stood and started toward the stairs, and the two adults got up with her; then she turned and came back to hug Kate. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"Nothing for your father?" Castle asked in mock despair.

"I love you, Dad," she said with a smile at his silliness.

"I love you, too."

She smiled at both of them and went up to her room.

Kate's hand went to her throat, and she sighed loudly, looking as relieved as she did at the party when Castle finally made it clear he liked the surprise. He wrapped his arms around her and rocked them back and forth a few times before he kissed her and asked, "Feel better now?"

"Oh, yeah. I've made the move from stealing her father to being impressive." She released another loud sigh, slid her arms around his waist, and squeezed him hard.

He laughed and asked, "Would you like to walk off a little of this angst? We could go down the block to the coffee shop."

"We should see if Alexis wants to go, too. Things went too well to leave her out now."

"Walking about halfway up the stairs, Castle called out, "Alexis, do you want to go to the coffee shop with us?"

Alexis came to the top of the stairs and turned them down. "No. I'll stay here. I've caused enough of a stir; just go and unwind. I'm good."

"We won't be too long," Kate told her.

They walked to the coffee shop hand in hand, enjoying the relief that they were back in Alexis' good graces.

"We still have a lot of things to work out, but that was the big one. I feel so much better," Beckett sighed.

"Me, too," he answered, looking over at her. "This feels good, too…holding your hand and not feeling like we should be hiding it. I guess I need to call Paula when we get back."

"She's probably going to want to work a big announcement into the promotion for the next book, isn't she?"

"More than likely. Think you can handle that on top of everything else? You should talk to your new boss about it. They didn't know I'd be part of the deal."

"They should take advantage of your being part of the deal. You're a good asset, and you've been cleared before…by the FBI and the CIA…in spite of the police horse…and some youthful indiscretions."

"I'm never going to live down that horse, am I?"

"Nope." She flashed him a big grin.

They ordered coffee at the shop and sat at a table to enjoy it, talking a little and people watching…being comfortably together…more certain of each other.

After relaxing for a while, Kate reluctantly said, "I need to call and let them know I'm accepting. We should probably go back. You can call Paula, and I'll call Friedman."

As they left to walk back home, Castle suggested, "Why don't you tell him we'll be flying in on Monday to find a place to live. See how he responds. Or ask for a short meeting so you know what to expect. You weren't anybody's fiancé when you had the interview."

"I might do that…ask for a meeting while we're there."

"I can arrange a car service while we're there next week, and we can drive back later so we have a car to get out of the city when you have time."

"You're a planner from way back, aren't you?"

"Can't help myself. If there's a project, it needs a plan."

She put her arm around his waist and said, "You lead on this one, then. I'll worry about the new job…and my new fiancé."

"Yeah?" he asked, looking delighted, and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah."

Phone calls made and notes compared on the responses to fiancés, Castle and Beckett decided to call Alexis to help with dinner.

"Let me go up to get her," Kate said.

"I love that you want to do that," Castle answered appreciatively.

"She's going to be a little bit mine, isn't she?"

"I hope so."

"Then I'll be back in a few minutes," she told him as she walked to the stairs. Turning back, she said, "Oh…I meant to mention it earlier. The Captain asked me to bring what you have on your computer when I take my paperwork in tomorrow. I'd like to be able to meet her where we can talk freely before we have to leave, and I'd like to get together with the team before Sunday, too."

"I'll get everything Gates needs while you're upstairs. And maybe we could get everybody together this weekend."

"Why don't we include our youngest red-head in that decision…find out what she has planned."

"I really like hearing you say 'ours' about almost anything."

"Well, hold on to that thought while I go and get some help to make our dinner."

Kate sat down to talk with Alexis for a few minutes, which gave Castle time to package the printed pages and stick drive Beckett needed to take along with her paperwork the next morning. Then the three of them put together a simple dinner and sat down to enjoy it, feeling very much like a family.