Chapter 9
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The week after, it was Zoey's birthday. Kate didn't really want to make a big deal out of it since she was only turning two and probably had no idea what they were actually celebrating. Still, she took July 22nd off to be with her daughter.
And apparently Castle and Alexis.
Kate wasn't planning on doing anything more complicated than going to the park and maybe going to a cupcake shop for a treat but at eight o'clock sharp, she heard a knock at the door.
"Happy Birthday!" Castle and Alexis said simultaneously when the door flew open to reveal Kate and Zoey still in their pyjamas.
"Lexi!" Zoey exclaimed.
"Hey Zo," said Alexis, bending down to give her a hug.
"What are you guys doing here?" said Kate.
"Well, it's Zoey's birthday," said Castle in a tone that made Kate think he wanted to add a 'duh' to the end of his sentence.
"I know that."
"So, what are we doing to celebrate?"
"We?" Kate gestured to the four of them. "I was just going to take Zoey to the park."
"Yeah, I figured you wouldn't have come up with something brilliant and awesome."
"Castle, she's turning two."
"And?"
Kate rolled her eyes. "Nevermind."
"Lucky for you, I have a plan." said Castle, "I hope you haven't had breakfast."
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It turns out Castle's plan involved having a personal chauffeur drive them around all day.
"So we don't have to waste time honking at idiots on the road and trying to find parking," he told Kate as he ushered her into the car behind Zoey.
"Alexis, are you sure you want to come out with us all day?" Kate asked.
"The boy has flown north," Castle chimed in from the front seat before his daughter could answer.
"Okay, James went to visit his family in Toronto," said Alexis, with a look at her dad. Then to Kate, she said, "And even if he hadn't, I would have still wanted to celebrate Zoey's birthday. I like spending time with you guys."
Kate smiled back, thinking that Alexis must be the most well-adjusted teenager in the world. "So, where are we going?" she asked.
"Zoey's going to love it. It was one of my favourite restaurants as a kid," answered Alexis excitedly. "Well, I mean, I still love it."
Castle turned around in his seat. "Do you like Alice in Wonderland?"
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Alexis was right, Zoey loved Alice's Tea Cup as soon as they stepped in the door. While they were waiting to be seated, she spotted the fairy wings and immediately wanted one. Kate was just about to say that she had enough toys at home when Castle picked her up and asked her which one she liked best. He also got her the matching fairy wand.
"Castle!" Kate said, "Don't spoil her."
"It's her birthday!"
The hostess, whose nametag read 'Marion', came up to them just then with a smile, "Aw, is it your birthday?" She bent down to Zoey's level. "How old are you today?"
Zoey didn't answer and instead, scooted over to wrap one of her arms around Kate's leg.
"She's shy," Castle said with a chuckle.
"Hey Zo," said Alexis, "I showed you in the car, remember? How many fingers do you hold up?"
Zoey held up four fingers.
Kate laughed, unlatching Zoey from her leg and picking her up. "She's two," she answered.
"She's adorable," said Marion and then continued with a smile, "And so lucky that her parents decided to bring her here for her special day!"
"Oh, she's… we're not…"
Castle just grinned as he watched Kate try to stammer her way to an explanation.
Finally, Kate just replied, "So, is our table ready?"
"Oh, yes," said Marion, "Right this way."
Kate elbowed Castle as he let her pass him. "Thanks for the help," she hissed.
As they walked through the restaurant, Kate was charmed by all of the whimsical touches – from the colourful atmosphere to the quotes on the wall to the little teacups. She and Castle ended up sitting on one side of the table, occasionally stealing a bite from each other's plate, while Alexis and Zoey sat on the other. The two of them spent a considerable amount of time out of their seats so that Zoey could "fly" around with her fairy wings and wand as Alexis lifted her in the air.
Unfortunately, during that time, Kate couldn't miss the smiles that their server and the other patrons threw their way. And much to her chagrin, she couldn't even blame them for thinking that they were just as adorable as the décor. To the casual observer, the four of them did look like a perfect little family.
"Hey," said Kate as she got back from the washroom with a now de-stickified Zoey, "Where's the bill?"
Castle and Alexis were already getting up and making sure they hadn't left anything behind. "Don't worry about it," said Castle.
Kate glared at him.
"Consider it Zoey's birthday present," he said, grin as wide as the Cheshire Cat's.
"Because you already bought her the fairy costume?" said Kate.
"That doesn't count," Castle said.
"How much was it, Castle?"
"Kate, I'm never going to let you pay me back so you might as well just give up now."
"He's right, Kate," said Alexis from behind them. "He's annoyingly persistent."
"Hey! I resent that!"
"Unfortunately, I have first hand knowledge of how annoying your dad can be," Kate said, as if she hadn't heard Castle's complaint. They started walking towards the door. "Also, he can be a bit whiny and narcissistic."
Alexis nodded, trying to hide her grin, "Oh yeah, absolutely."
"Um, hello? I'm right here. I can hear you guys talking about me!"
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Their next stop was to the New York Aquarium where Castle had arranged a private tour.
"I'm not going to ask," Kate said when she had realised what he had done.
Castle smiled, "Good idea."
Zoey was delighted to be able to see the underwater creatures up-close even though she did think that the sharks looked 'mean and scary'. And Alexis wasn't too old to squeal when they got to feed the sea otters and see the penguins play.
By the time it was mid-afternoon, though, Zoey started getting fussy and frustrated.
"Her nap is a little overdue," Kate explained to their guide when Zoey started getting cranky about the heat. She looked briefly over at Castle, who was examining the sea turtles with Alexis. She didn't have to say anything more than that; he made his over to her immediately.
"I think it's time we called it a day," he said. He gave the guide a smile, thanking and assuring him that they would be able to find their way out by themselves.
Before they even made it to the car, Zoey was already asleep in Kate's arms.
"Do you want me to hold her?" Castle asked.
"No, that's okay. We're almost there," she replied.
"Dad," said Alexis, "Maybe we should head home now and let Zo nap."
"What else did you have planned, Castle?" Kate asked, glancing over at him with a smile.
"That's for me to know and you to never find out," he replied cheekily.
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The guest bedroom in Castle's loft had quickly become Zoey's unofficial room, which was where Castle found Kate a couple of hours later, curled up on her side and fast asleep on the bed. Castle lay down on top of the covers, propping himself up on his elbow, and just letting himself appreciate the quiet serenity in the moment before he would have to wake her up.
"Kate," he said softly, sweeping a wayward lock of brown hair off of her cheek, "It's time to get up."
Kate's hand reached up to brush at the cause of the light tickle and ended up grasping Castle's fingers. Her eyes blinked open sleepily and at that moment, Castle wished he could wake up beside her every morning just so he could be the first person to see those green eyes.
"Hey," she said, letting go of his hand, face confused as to why she was even holding it in the first place. She sat up and looked around the room, still disoriented. "Where's Zoey?"
"Downstairs. With Alexis," he answered, sitting up himself. "She woke up about fifteen minutes ago. I just wanted to let you sleep a little longer."
It was then that she noticed his position on the bed. She raised her eyebrows. "And have you been staring at me that whole time? Because I think I've told you how creepy that is, Castle," she paused, "Actually, it's a whole lot more creepy since I was asleep."
He grinned. "I just came in here to wake you up, like, two minutes ago, Detective," he answered, "I swear on my mother's non-existent Tony."
Kate rolled her eyes and slipped out from under the covers – she was still in her shorts and tank top from the morning. "Ugh," she said, "Do you have an extra toothbrush I could borrow?"
"Sure thing," he said. "I have one of those electric ones but I can get you an extra brush head."
Kate followed him into his bathroom and Castle spent a good minute trying to decide what colour should be hers (finally settling on orange because his was blue).
"Complementary colours, Beckett," he said, as if speaking to a child.
"I took grade school art too, Castle," she retorted.
He leaned against the counter as she brushed her teeth. "So, Alexis and I were thinking Max Brenner for Zo's birthday dinner –"
"—That place with all the chocolate?" Kate asked, removing the spinning brush from her mouth.
"Yeah, what do you think?"
Kate rinsed and turned off the tap. "Thanks," she said when Castle handed her a towel and then answered, "I guess I could use a sugar-induced coma right now."
"Great!" said Castle, excitedly. "I could use one, too."
"Castle, you're on a perpetual sugar high as it is."
"Well then this will give you an opportunity to catch up."
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"We have reservations under Caskett," Castle told the hostess when they arrived at the restaurant.
"Caskett?" Kate asked.
"Yeah, Castle and Beckett," he answered, as if it were obvious. "Clever, right?"
"Ingenious," she replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. "But, what's wrong with putting it under your own name? You know, like normal people?"
"But mommy!" Castle whined, "That's boring!"
Castle walked away with a grin, bringing Zoey along to show her some of the chocolate confections.
"Dad doesn't like to make reservations under his real name," Alexis confided after it was just her and Kate, "In case somebody decides to call the local paparazzi, you know."
"So, he always uses a fake name?" Kate asked.
Alexis smiled coyly, "Well, only when it's just family."
A/N: Alice's Tea Cup and Max Brenner are real places! But I haven't been to either of them. And while we're on the subject, I've been to New York City all of three times, so if there are any native New Yorkers out there, please forgive any inconsistencies I make (and feel free to let them be known to me)!
Happy New Year, all! :)
