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For me Friday didn't come fast enough and now sitting and eating breakfast was torture. I just wanted to go to Kate's and bring all her stuff over and have her finally moved in. Nope here we are sitting at the counter at 8:30 eating breakfast. "Come on guys can you eat any slower?" I ask.
I shouldn't have because Dad literally starts to eat slower. "Rick stop it we're torturing the poor girl. If you're not done in 10 minutes I'm taking her with me and you can meet us there." Kate tells him and stands motioning for me to follow.
"No! I'm done lets go." Dad says getting up fast and I look at Kate and see her wink and smile at me.
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I unlock the door to my apartment and we walk in. "I'm going to get my close packed can you pack up my mom's murder board and the pictures?" I ask Rick.
"Of course." He says and walks over to the window.
"I'll help with your cloths." Alexis offers.
"Okay come on." We walk into my room and I take out the two suitcases I have and open my closet. "Alexis you can put my clothes from the closet into this suitcase and I'll start on the drawers." I tell her and she starts pulling out dresses and suits as I open my drawers and taking out the more intimate parts of my wardrobe.
"Mom, I don't think I've seen you in half of these." Alexis says as she's taking out a few dresses.
"Yes, well I just don't ware some of those anymore." I look over at her and she's got two dresses in her hand as she places them up to herself. "If you like them you can have them; I haven't worn them in forever." I tell her.
"Really?" she asks excited.
"Those two for sure, just let me know which ones you like and I'll let you know if I still ware them or not." I tell her.
"Thanks mom this is amazing." She said so happy.
"You're always welcomed to my hand-me-downs." I tell her smiling.
"Well I'm glad because I love your cloths." Alexis tells me.
"Well when I unpack at the loft I'll make sure to make a pile of things I don't ware or want anymore and I'll let you take a look through it and take whatever you want." I tell her truthfully.
"Really, this is like the best day ever." She says placing cloths into the suitcase.
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Finally back at the loft we eat dinner and then start to unpack. My clothes were unpacked into drawers and half of Rick's walk in closet. A pile I had made for Alexis was now sitting on her bed waiting to be sifted through. My favorite chair and a table from my apartment was now sitting in a room where all my books were placed alphabetically on shelves. A room that Rick gave me; a place where I can get away and no one would bother me and place just for me.
"I think we finally have everything unpacked." Jim Beckett said as he sat next to Alexis who instantly leaned into him and closed her eyes.
"Yep everything is unpacked." Castle says as he sits in the empty seat on the couch.
"Who knew it took so long to move in." I said and sat in Ricks lap. I wrap an arm around his neck and our entwined fingers on my thigh.
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I watch as Katie walks over to us and without hesitation sits in Ricks lap and place their hands on her leg. This Katie has been hidden for so long it is nice to see her so carefree so relaxed. It was weird to see her so open with Rick when I am sitting right there, but I realize quickly that this is how they are. They don't hide; they don't cover up what they are feeling; they just do.
"Are they always like this?" I whisper to Alexis.
She lifts her head off my shoulder and looks over at Katie and Rick. "Kissing and touching all the time? Yes." She says smiling. I turn back to the couple and see them trading a small kiss.
"Are you going to be staying the night, Dad?" Katie asks me.
"I think I'll leave you three to yourselves for your first night." I tell her starting to stand.
"It's almost 11; it's late we don't mind you staying." Rick says.
"You can stay in grams room she's in the Hamptons for the week. Besides mom said we can campout here." Alexis says smiling.
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"Mom?" my dad asks looking between the 3 of us.
Ohoh Alexis has been calling me Kate around my dad and she just called me mom. We haven't told him about the mom thing. "Yeah Alexis wanted to call me mom and I told her if she was sure." I tell my dad looking down at my hand in Ricks.
"What about her real mom?" My dad asks.
I look up at Alexis and she's looking at me. "Umm she's never here and she didn't really want me and I can't talk to her about anything. I realized that Kate was more a mom to me then my mom had ever been or could ever be so I asked her if it was okay and she told me I had to be 100% sure and I am; she's my mom and I love her." Alexis tells him.
"You know what? It's amazing how much you guys seem like a family already." Dad tells us.
"We are a family." Alexis, Rick, and I say at the same time. We all look at each other and laugh.
"I guess you're right." Dad says. "Well I'm tiered so Alexis if you don't mind can you show me where I will be staying?" I say standing bring the girl with me.
"Of course Grandpa Jim." She smiles.
"It looks like I'm not the newest Family member to join the Castle clan anymore." I tell him.
"I guess not Katie." He leans down and kisses my forehead. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Night dad and look forward to a big breakfast, Saturday breakfast here means anything and everything." I tell him.
"Goodnight Rick." Dad says.
"Night Jim if you need anything just let one of us know; all three of us will be out here." Rick says and goes to move me off his lab.
"Don't move on my account. Stay, it makes me so happy to see you so happy Katie." Dad says to me.
"I am happy; really happy." I tell him and pull Rick's arm tighter around me and give him a quick kiss. I turn back to my dad and smile at him.
"So I see." He smiles and follows Alexis upstairs.
"I love you." Rick says kissing my pulse point.
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"Love you too." Kate hums.
"Alexis should be back down soon." I tell her.
"Yeah, so you better kiss me now." She tells me and I do just that.
The things she does to me with just that one kiss. "We should get the beds set up." I tell her as she kisses me again.
"Okay." She gets up and takes my hands pulling me up as well.
We have the beds done and ready by the time Alexis comes back down in her pajamas. "Hey guys."
"Hey, I'm going to go change too." Kate says and heads to our room.
"Dad?" Alexis says and I turn away from where Kate disappeared.
"Yeah pumpkin." I say giving her my full attention.
"Thanks for not freaking out about the bruise and I just wanted you to know that I'm happy too." She tells me.
"I knew Kate already talked to you and took control of the whole bruise thing and I'm glad you're happy, because if you weren't you know I wouldn't do any of this if you were unhappy." I tell her truthfully.
"I know. I love you Dad." She says quietly.
"I love you too, Pumpkin."
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The weekend went by nicely Kate was moved in and Grandpa Jim stayed Saturday and went with us to the movies and we had a ton of fun. Today though I was nervous and a little scared at what may happen.
We just arrived at the school and Dad and I are waiting outside for Kate. "She said she was on her way right?" I ask Dad.
"Yes, calm down Alexis she'll be here any minute now." He tells me but that doesn't calm me at all.
I see Kate's car pull up next to ours and she gets out. She starts to say something but I crush into her giving her a hug. "Sorry I'm a bit late traffic was horrible on the way here. You ready for this?" she asks me and I nod against her. "Let's go talk to some teachers and then we have our meeting." Kate says. She wraps her arm around my shoulder and takes Dad's other hand as we walk into the school.
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We were sitting inside the principal's office waiting for Amber and her mother to arrive. After about 20 minutes they finally were ushered in. I notice Kate look at her watch for the fifth time in 10 minutes.
"Mom if you have to go then you can go." I tell her.
"I don't need to go I was just expecting a phone call from Lanie by now." She says reaching out and pushing my hair behind my ear.
"You are not her mother." Amber's mother huffs.
"You're right technically I am not her mother, but I am marring her father and if she wants to call me mom she's more than welcome too." Kate tells her.
"We are not here to talk about the personal lives of Mr. Castle and Ms. Beckett." Principle Mathers says to Mrs. Reid. "We are here because your daughters were in a fight Friday."
"Yes and Alexis was the first to through a punch and should be punished." Mrs. Reid says.
"That maybe true, but your daughter punched mine and Amber is just as responsible as Alexis." Kate says.
"I'd like to hear what happened from the girls, Amber why don't you go first." Principle Mathers says.
"Well Kayla and I were walking to our lockers before lunch and we were talking about her." Amber says pointing to Kate. "And Alexis just walks up and starts yelling and then she slaps me so I punched her back in self-defense."
"Is that true, Alexis?" Principle Mathers asks.
"Well they were talking about my Kate and I was getting upset, because they don't even know her and they were saying some awful things and I got upset and went over because Kayla forgot Kate's name and then I told them that Kate was more than what they thought, but Amber just kept going on and talking about how her mother was going to fix it because she was going to steal my dad at today's parent teacher conferences and how Kate is just a slut and those are her words." I say looking at Kate after the last part.
"It's okay sweetie." She says and reaches for my hand. I take it and play with her engagement ring.
"Engaged? You weren't lying?" Mrs. Reid asks.
"No." I tell her.
"This all seems to be about jealousy and can they just serve detention for a week and just make sure they both participate in a meeting with the counselor once a week?" Kate asks. I look over at her and wondered why I didn't think of that.
"That sounds fair." Principle Mathers says. "You both are to serve detention after school until Monday and Friday will be your first session with the school counselor." He tells us.
"That is not fair, my daughter didn't initiate any of this." Mrs. Reid says.
"That may be true, but she did talk poorly about Ms. Beckett and provoked the behavior that has landed Alexis and your daughter here today so both will be punished as seemed fit. If you disagree I'm sure the New York Police Department can find somewhere for the girls to be helpful; if fact I like that idea better. Detective Beckett you were the one that got Alexis in to the precinct for the day last time. Do you think you can find a place for these girls to work and I would suggest separately."
"Umm yeah I can ask my Captain and see if he can find places. I'm sure Lanie can use a hand if needed." Kate says and I immediately stand.
"No offence to Lanie; I love her, but I opt out of volunteering with her. I'm sure she remembers what happened last time." I tell Kate.
"Right I'll have to remind her when she says you can help." Kate smiles and laughs at the memories of my lunch coming back up after last time Kate and I went to see her with a body on the table. "Don't worry kids aren't suppose to be down there; you pulled a trick from your dads hat and followed me even though I told you to stay." She smiles and pulls me to her.
I hug her and laugh. "You do always say 'You are your father's daughter'" I try to impersonate her.
She laughs and kisses my head. "The truth hurts."
"Hey." Dad says.
"Sorry Dad." I tell him and smile at Kate as I pull out of her embrace. Her phone rings and she pulls it out. "Lanie?"
"No Captain, excuse me." Kate says and moves to a corner of the office.
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I see her nod and move her hands as she talks. "Dad!" I hear Alexis call and I pull my eyes away from Kate.
"Yeah?" I ask as I turn to her.
"You know she says it's creepy when you stare at her, right?" She asks me.
I smile at her. "Yes, she likes remind me frequently."
"That's because it is." Kate says coming to stand by us. "Captain says there is a body; I'm sorry but Rick and I have work to do. Thank you for the meeting and my Captain says it is fine for the girls to come in tomorrow. They need to be there by 7 and will be there till 5 and you need to drop Amber off and sign a few papers tomorrow morning." Kate tells Mrs. Reid.
"Is this necessary?" Mrs. Reid asks.
"It's the precinct for one day or a week of detention and a note on her permanent record Mrs. Reid."
"Fine we'll see you tomorrow." Mrs. Reid says.
"Actually, my partners; Ryan and Esposito will be taking care of Amber tomorrow. Good bye we have a murder to solve." Kate says shaking the principles hand and I follow.
"Good bye and congratulations on the engagement." Principle Mathers says.
"Thank you." I smile at him and wrap my arm around Kate as she lays her hand over Alexis' shoulder and we walk out.