They arrived at Castle's loft and he unlocked the door. Kate took off her coat and laid it on the back of the couch before sitting down. He sat down beside her, leaning back, and closing his eyes.
"What a day!" he said.
"No kidding." Kate replied, leaning in and putting her head on his shoulder.
He reached around and put his arm around her, kissing the top of her head. They sat that way for a while, without speaking when his phone rang.
"Castle."
"Hey, it's Stephanie. Do you have a minute to talk?"
"Sure, Steph. Are you ok?" He said, taking his arm off of Kate and standing up. Kate stayed on the couch, understanding that he needed some space. She was not about to intrude on this part of his past. She was his present, and hopefully his future.
"I'm fine, Rick. I just called to apologize for running out on you earlier. You had a right to hear the story about Alex from me, not from the notes and drawings in my portfolio."
"Steph, I'm not happy with you leaving me to learn about his death that way, but I do understand how upset you must be feeling. It had to have been so hard to say goodbye." Rick was pacing as he talked, and he ran his fingers through his hair. He was visibly upset and was having a difficult time controlling his emotions.
"I don't expect you to forgive me, but I wanted you to know I've decided not to include any of the drawings that I did of you. While it's true that you were Alex's father, I don't want you family dragged through the mud."
Silence.
Rick stopped pacing and closed his eyes. He pursed his lips and took a deep breath.
"Rick?"
"Yes, I'm still here."
"The opening is in a month. Will you come? Bring your friend Kate and your family."
"Yes, we'd love to. Thanks Steph."
He hung up the phone and let out a big sigh. He walked over to the couch, grabbed both of Kate's hands and pulled her into a big hug. She put her arms around him and fell into his embrace.
"That was Stephanie. She has decided to leave the drawings of me out of the show. She said she was wrong and she didn't want to drag my family through the mud." He said with apparent relief in his voice.
"Now, I can breathe easy and get on with my life, and with you."
He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. He reached under her chin, and tipped it up so she was looking straight into his soul. He leaned into her and kissed her lips softly. She traced his lips this time, and he opened his mouth for her. Their tongues touched and waves of electricity pulsed through both of them. She pulled back for a moment, only to help him out of his jacket, and pushed him onto the couch with a giggle.
She sat on his lap, and straddled him. She took his face in her hands, and kissed him with everything she was feeling. He reached out to her, placing his hands on her waist and the kiss deepened. They made out like teenagers for a while, until Kate heard a key in the lock and quickly sat up straight.
She let out a small giggle as she sat down beside him and ran her fingers through her hair. He smiled at her, and stood up.
"Hey pumpkin." He said as Alexis came through the door.
"Hey dad. Hey Kate." She answered, putting her bags by the door and hanging her jacket on a hook.
"Hey Alexis." Kate answered as she stood up.
Alexis came around and gave her dad a hug and kissed his cheek. She then hugged Kate and bounded toward the kitchen for a snack. Kate followed her into the kitchen to get a drink from the refrigerator when they heard another key in the lock.
"Hello, Mother." Castle said as he gave her a hug.
"Hello darling." She answered, sauntering into the loft. "How was your day? How is Stephanie?"
Rick walked his mother to the kitchen, and she sat down beside Alexis. Kate was in the kitchen already and he walked to stand beside her. He took a deep breath, took her hand in his, and began talking.
"Well, first of all, Kate and I are dating now, so you will be seeing a lot more of her around here." He looked into Kate's eyes and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. She squeezed his hand, and whispered, "You need to tell them about Alex."
He nodded and took another deep breath. With Kate by his side, he told his mother and his teenage daughter about Stephanie and Alex. He kept it short, but tried to include the important details. Of course, they had questions, but he answered them the best he could before pulling a small envelope out of his shirt pocket. In it, were a few pictures of Alex.
Martha and Alexis came around the counter to embrace Rick and kiss his cheek. Tears started to form in his eyes as he kissed Alexis on the top of her head and apologized for her never meeting her brother. The circumstances around Alex's birth were just another example of how happy he was that Alexis was nothing like he was as a teenager.
They all broke apart and Alexis excused herself to her room to work on homework. Martha poured a glass of wine and retreated to her room to watch television. Rick and Kate were alone in the kitchen.
He pulled her into another hug, and whispered, "Thank you, Kate" into her ear. She looked at him and smiled.
"Anytime, Rick. Anytime."
