The Wheel In The Sky (Keeps On Turning)

Alexis walked into the kitchen to start the coffee at five, like most mornings. Unlike most mornings she found her father had already started it. Castle's eyes met Alexis' for a moment, but Alexis' eyes darted around as she quickly looked away from him. She inhaled and went to retrieve the blanket on the couch. As she wrapped it around her she contemplated getting up as to not avoid her father, but what he did had hurt her so badly as well as Kate and her Grams. Lost in her own racing thoughts it took her a moment to notice her father was standing in front of her with a cup of coffee in his hand.

She stared at him a moment and took the cup, "Thanks."

Alexis took a sip and exhaled a confused, tired, and frustrated sigh.

Castle nodded, "You're welcome."

Alexis looked straight ahead as Castle sat down beside her, "I never thought that I would ever see you again. We buried you. I thought all I ever wanted was to see you one last time…" Alexis sighed as she looked in her father's eyes, "…and I did Daddy, but not like this. I don't even know where to begin, Dad. You act like everything is fine when Kate was crying in the lobby restroom alone last night. By the way I took the couch and took the liberty of letting her have my bed. You know, if you were even wondering."

"I'm sorry, Alexis. I couldn't tell you that I made it out of the bank for your own protection. Tell me what you want me to do, Alexis?" Castle asked and Alexis stood and looked into her dad's eyes, "It's not that simple Daddy! I don't know what I want you to do right now! I just know I'm angry, okay?"

Beckett closed her eyes and exhaled as she'd watched the scene between Castle and Alexis play out from the staircase. She was angry at Castle too, livid with him for not informing the three women that he had made it out of the bank alive. Then he'd just waltz back into their lives as if their lives had not been uprooted and taken a massive shift. Kate turned and went back upstairs to bed. She had a feeling a certain redhead would soon follow.

Castle sat alone on the couch as he watched his daughter head upstairs he ran his hand over his face and closed his eyes knowing that the road he thought he'd paved was clearly not only a long one. It wasn't paved at all, but an uneven, unfinished dirt mess of a road.

Kate felt the mattress sway as Alexis climbed into bed and lay next to her. Kate could hear Alexis' muffled tears only a moment and then she sat up and started to rub the girls shoulder. Alexis eyes were solemn her voice a hollow whisper, "He says he is sorry and I know he is, but it's not fair and I feel so very mean like I'm being too hard on him." Alexis pulled out of Kate's embrace and looked her in the eye, "…but he hurt my heart and it still hurts."

"Your father loves you more than anything in this world Alexis. It's okay to feel angry, just have patience, okay? He will never know what it was like for you when he was gone. It's okay to feel upset with him. You love him." Kate said and Alexis embraced Kate again and then lay back down and cried herself to sleep as Kate wiped tears from her eyes. Once Kate was sure Alexis was asleep she got out of bed and walked downstairs only she couldn't find Castle in the kitchen or on the couch. She immediately knew where he was and made a cup of coffee and then walked into his office. He was sitting at his desk turned away from her. She walked in and set the coffee down on his desk. His tear stained face looked up to meet hers. A storm brewed as their eyes met, crashing wildly into each other and held.

"I hate that I love you." Beckett's voice pierced the silence first and Castle rests his head on her stomach and wrapped his arms around her midsection. "I'm still pissed off Castle." She said as she ran her hands through his hair exhaling as she closed her eyes and kissed his crown.

Castle said nothing just held onto her as if his life depended on it. While Kate was still angry with him, she knew Alexis needed to know everything was in fact going to be okay. Alexis and Martha had only wanted one thing for years and the moment it walked back in their life Kate had bolted only heightening Alexis' reaction. Alexis didn't need that right now. She'd come to look up to Kate and Beckett had accepted and grown to love that she did.

Castle and Kate were quiet as he held her tightly. They were in the center of the storm for sure, and for a moment everything was peaceful and right. Though, the eye of the storm is the strongest. It is also the most deceiving as it causes the worst damage.

I feel I haven't written in forever as I'm having to adapt to using this finger and my little sis is getting married. No excuse, I know. I know it's not the best chap. but do you guys want more? I know some will and still do not understand how if someone is alive one could be angry with them. I will say one does not know how they will react unless you've been in the exact same situation. Luckily these are characters and I know them very well. It may help many if you listen to the song Back From The Dead by Skylar Grey...the lyrics are exactly how the girls feel.