Sorry about the delay, folks. Real life took over for a while.
Chapter Ten
Ducking out of the sunshine, Castle leans against the brick wall of Chancellor Green, one of the many works of architectural art on Princeton's campus, and his eyes stay on the periodic opening and closing of East Pyne's front door across the courtyard.
When he'd hung up on Kate this morning, his shock at her hostility and his own animosity toward the entire situation overpowered all rational thought until fear kicked in, and he'd tried calling Alexis, desperate to find her, to make sure she was okay. He'd attempted repeatedly but it had gone to voicemail each and every time, and the only place he could think of where she would go was back to Princeton.
He'd ransacked his office looking for the schedule of classes she'd left before he'd rushed out the door to get down here. Now, just over two hours later, he waits for her to be released from her French literature class, fully planning on kidnapping her for lunch and a serious discussion about last night's events.
Lost in thought admiring the design of these historical buildings, he startles at the ringing of his phone, the tune from Daddy's Little Girl dancing its way from his pocket, and he almost drops the device in his haste to answer.
"Alexis?"
"Hey, Dad. I saw you called. Five times. Is everything okay?"
His eyes cut back across the courtyard, watching for the front door to open, for her brilliant red hair to catch the rays of sunlight as she steps free from the building, and as a trio of students bursts onto the front steps, laughing and chatting, he sees her. Hanging back from the group, she holds the hand of a teenage boy.
"Yeah, Sweetie. I'm okay. Listen, I've come back to the city and I want to see you. You busy for lunch?"
"Dad, I'm heading to lunch now. You won't make it in time."
He walks away from the building, traveling along the brick path until he catches up to the group, hanging up the phone as he goes. Stepping up behind Alexis, he taps her on the shoulder, smiling when she spins around in surprise.
"Actually, I'm already here." He moves closer, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, ignoring the stiffening of her spine and the hesitant way she returns the hug, and, angling sideways, he places a kiss on top of her head. "I've missed you, Pumpkin."
She untangles herself from him, backing away to focus on the boy she's with, her voice quiet as she speaks. "Go on without me, Carter. I'll call you later."
"You sure?"
The boy, Carter, eyes him warily and Castle's hands curl into fists. Who does this kid think he is?
"Yeah, I'm sure. It's just my dad." She places a kiss on his cheek, and then pulls back, nudging him away. Carter nods, turning from them without another word.
Alexis watches her friend - boyfriend, whatever he is - leave, before her shoulders morph into hard, tense edges, the line of her spine becoming ramrod straight, and Castle feels the hair on his arms stand on end. She's preparing for a fight, her torso expanding with a deep breath, and he's stunned by this version of his daughter.
She grinds her heel into the ground, spinning to face him, but there's no sparkle in her eyes. The blue is dull and dark, her lips turned down in a frown, and, sighing, she shakes her head.
"Dad, what are you doing here?"
"Trying to have lunch with my daughter who I haven't seen in weeks." He rubs a hand over his forehead, a mirthless chuckle escaping as he meets her eyes again. "Call me crazy, but I thought you'd be happier to see me."
She deflates at his words, her body slumping, and, leaning into him, her cheek rests against his chest. He can't help but tuck her into his side, gripping her shoulders as relief at her apparent physical safety floods his system. No matter what happened the night before or this morning, she seems to be unharmed, and he releases a shuddered breath, his heart finally calming now that she's back in his line of sight.
"I'm sorry, Dad. Just been busy and I wasn't expecting you today."
Releasing him, she doesn't go far, choosing instead to fold her arm into the crook of his elbow as they begin to walk down the pathway. There are so many things to ask her, so many things to understand about the way she's been acting, what happened last night, and who that kid was, but for now, he'll stay quiet. For now, he'll revel in his little girl's presence, soaking up the natural glow of her personality.
"And then Carter interrupted this other girl in our class, totally blowing her argument out of the water because she had no idea what she was talking about - obviously she never did the required reading. It was unreal, Dad. He's so awesome."
Sitting across from his daughter in a diner off campus, Castle forces his mouth into a smile. She's been going on and on about her classes and Carter - just his name makes Castle fume - without ever actually saying who this boy is to her. The name sounds familiar, but he can't seem to place it, can't seem to remember when Alexis first mentioned him.
Maybe Kate was right. He wrinkles his nose. No. He hasn't been too busy to notice Alexis, hasn't been screwing his ex-wife or anyone else to the point where Alexis would drop so significantly in importance. It's impossible.
It's just hard to keep up with someone that doesn't call back, that doesn't ever take a weekend to come visit. And Carter really isn't the priority here.
"So what else has been going on recently?"
"Not much. Just hanging out with friends and schoolwork." Shrugging, she looks down at her plate, the avoidance clear even as she mumbles her answer. She's never been able to lie to him, and this one is so obvious that it slaps him right across the face.
"Uh huh. Well, would you like to tell me about what happened last night?"
She freezes, her gaze shooting back up to meet his. He stays quiet, though, choosing to wait her out and the debate wars across her face, the indecision burning in her blue eyes. She knows she's been caught, but she's fighting him.
"What're you talking about? Nothing happened last night," she says as she tugs a fry through the pile of ketchup on her plate, shrugging her shoulders again.
He shakes his head, disappointed in her refusal to be honest.
"Is that so? You weren't in the city?"
Sighing, she looks back up at him, seeming to come to a decision. "Kate called you, didn't she? That's why you're here."
"I'm worried about you, Sweetheart." He reaches across the table, his large palm landing over her smaller one, stilling the nervous fidget of her fingers.
"It's not a big deal, Dad. I'm just having fun with my friends."
"And last night?"
"And last night the party got a little out of hand. I didn't know you were back in the city, so I called Kate. It's fine. My grades are up, and I'm being responsible."
"Then why are you lying to me?"
She huffs, her gaze moving out the window, and he takes the quiet moment to study her, to watch the clench of her jaw as she chews on the inside of her cheek.
Looking back at him, her façade slips, her face opening with the truth as the weight she's been carrying obviously lightens now she's being honest with him. "Because I don't want to disappoint you. I don't want to worry you. But I promise, it's fine."
She smiles, a small lift of her lips. It's not fine, but he feels the tight fist around his heart ease.
It'll never be fine, but it's enough for now.
"Brooding again, Richard?"
Tensing at the sound of his mother's voice, he takes a deep breath before lifting his head. She's surprisingly stealthy when she wants to be, and, looking her way, he finds her leaning against the bookshelves framing his office doorway.
"Mother."
She huffs at him, waving her hand to dismiss his sullen attitude. "Don't use that tone with me. What's got your panties in a bunch?"
"I saw Alexis today."
"Well that sounds terrible." She rolls her eyes, sarcasm dripping from her words, but he doesn't react, just continues squeezing the stress ball in his hand.
"She's been drinking, Mother. Partying. Kate had to pick her up last night because it got to be too much."
Martha stares at him, an eyebrow arching as she indicates for him to continue, but what else is there to say? Isn't that enough?
He's quiet, and finally she speaks again. "And?"
"And what? My daughter, who's turned down every drink I've ever offered her - jokingly or not - who says I have enough inappropriate stories for the both of us, who practically raised herself and somehow managed to have more common sense than you or I combined, is drinking. Where's the sense in that? Where's the responsibility in that?"
"Don't you think you're overreacting a bit? She's not doing anything you haven't done yourself and been encouraging her to do for quite some time. And she called someone when she got into trouble. I don't see what the issue is here."
He digs his fingers into his temple, attempting to stave off the oncoming headache. Of course she doesn't understand. She's never understood why he's so protective of his daughter. Yes, he's encouraged her. Yes, he's teased Alexis about her perfectly pointed moral compass, but the truth is, he's always been stupidly grateful for her dedication to her schooling and inability to make bad choices.
He'd feared that raising a daughter in the city with the kind of money he makes would turn her jaded and fearless - and not in the good way - and he'd done whatever he could to make her childhood as normal as possible. Teaching her the value of hard work and self-motivation. Encouraging her to use her imagination and to have compassion for others. Up until this point, she'd never strayed, never fought against it, and that's what makes her current behavior so difficult to accept.
But he won't give up on her, won't stand by while she tosses her childhood aside in such a careless way. She's growing up but she isn't grown enough to be making these kinds of choices.
"What does Kate say about all this?"
The sound of his mother's voice cuts through his thoughts, dragging him back to his office surroundings, and he answers with a muddled, "Huh?"
"You said Kate picked her up last night, so what does she say about the situation?"
"Umm I don't know. I didn't really get a chance to talk to her about it."
"Hmm. Well, maybe you should."
A wave of anger washes over him at Martha's suggestion. She's taking liberties and pushing in where he doesn't want her, making him think about things he isn't ready to think about. After their conversation this morning, he doesn't want to see Kate, doesn't want to hear more of her inaccurate thoughts about his summer or her opinions about what he does with his time.
Pushing back from his desk, he slips his phone and wallet into his pockets, moving toward the doorway that Martha blocks. He needs to get out of here. He needs peace and quiet, coffee and people watching. Anything but sitting here listening to his mother, and, bending down to kiss her cheek, he brushes by.
"Thank you for the advice, Mother. I'm going out."
"Tell Katherine I said hello."
He doesn't acknowledge her as he leaves, doesn't correct her or explain that he won't be seeing Kate anytime soon. Instead, he clenches his fists as he slips through the front door, shutting it behind him, locking himself away from her words.
Thirty minutes later he finds himself seated at a round table by the window of a local café. It's quiet, the early evening rush already having moved on to new places, but he likes the peace, likes the freedom and space it gives him. He spins the green pottery mug filled with creamy hot chocolate and topped with homemade whipped cream, watching the few other patrons in the coffee shop.
There's a woman in the corner, folded into an oversized blue velvet lounge chair as she turns the page in her book, and a college student sits hunched over his laptop, three empty mugs holding down stacks of loose papers.
A young couple shares a loveseat near the café's counter, fingers tangled as they whisper to each other, lost in their bubble as the rest of the world passes them by, and a pang of jealousy races through him, narrow and sharp. The hopes he'd had for his future have been destroyed and rebuilt so many times over this summer that he can hardly keep up.
The jingle of the bells above the doors breaks through the haze of his thoughts, and his gaze shifts to the woman coming inside. She's digging through her bag, her face pointed down, her curly hair falling in a curtain as it hides her from him.
But he knows her.
Would recognize her anywhere.
Kate.
Startled, she looks up, her eyes scanning the room, and he realizes he's said her name out loud. She freezes when she spots him, her mouth opening slightly in what looks like surprise and maybe a little apprehension.
"Castle. What are you doing here?"
"What am I…? Umm." He tucks his fingers into the handle of his mug, lifting it off the table, and her eyes focus on his drink as he shrugs. "Just needed some space."
She doesn't respond, just stands in the middle of the foyer, her eyes locked on his mug, and he can't take the silence, the limbo.
"What are you doing here?"
His words seem to startle her, and her eyes shoot back up to his.
"Uh. Just heading home. Wanted a coffee."
She points to the counter, turning away to order, and he stares, sipping from his hot chocolate, undecided on what his next step should be. He didn't want to see her tonight, didn't want to discuss Alexis with her, hear her opinion on his own shortcomings as a parent, but it seems fate has intervened.
She looks tired, run down like the day took more from her than she'd had to begin with, and his stomach knots up. Even with everything that's happened, he can't help but admire her, and he wishes things were different, wishes they'd handled everything better.
But they didn't.
Kate pauses at his table, a paper cup in her hand, and she chews on her lip, eying the door before she looks back at him. And it hits him. She's nervous too.
"Umm. Did you get ahold of Alexis?" She doesn't look him in the eye when she speaks, and he leans down, trying to catch her gaze.
"Yeah. She went back to Princeton. Had an early class."
"And?"
"And what? She was fine. We had lunch. I'm dealing with it."
She finally looks at him, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion, and he feels his hackles begin to rise.
"That's it? Castle, she put my job on the line last night-"
She did what?! He can't help the rising volume of his voice as he pushes back from the table, standing so they are eye to eye.
"Beckett, is that all you care about? Your precious-"
"Umm. Excuse me."
He cuts his gaze toward the source of their interruption, surprised to see one of the baristas standing next to the round table.
"I need you two to tone it down or take it elsewhere. You're disturbing the other customers."
Looking around the room, he can see that everyone else has stopped what they were doing in favor of staring at him and Beckett. He sees her scanning the room as well before she turns back to look at him.
Using her free hand, she tucks a lock of hair behind her ear, saying in a low voice, "Sorry. We'll go."
She nods to the door, a silent request for him to join her, and he shoves his hands in his pockets, leaving his half consumed hot chocolate on the table as he follows her out onto the city streets.
"My place?" She's speaks so softly that he almost misses it, but the look on her face as she peeks up at him from under her eyelashes has him agreeing without any thought at all.
"Yeah, sure."
Kylie and Jo, this would be nothing without either of you.