A/N - Guys, I'm terribly sorry for the delay! It's just that life gets in the way... I wanted to thank all of you for the reviews, as always, and let you know that, if you have any ideas - either for this story or the others - you can let me know and I'll see what I can do! I really need ideas for 'That's life', I'm completely stuck. Thanks again, and I hope you understand. I'll try to publish something else soon.
-Nina K.
PS - Longest chapter!
Kate had worked hard that following month. Too many bodies dropping, too many cases for her and her team to work on. She hadn't been sleeping - or eating - well. Her time with the Castles had been cut short. Alexis wouldn't spend those nice on Fridays over, she wouldn't go to the loft for dinner...She'd barely see Rick.
He really missed her, as much as she missed him - and so did his little girl. Alexis was very disappointed not to be able to go to Kate's apartment, but understood that Kate was busy and that, soon, it'd be okay for her to go again and spend the night. But, he had noticed Alexis had been sadder - separation anxiety, maybe? - so he decided to surprise both her and Kate.
Rick picked Alexis up from school and car service took them to the twelfth precinct. Alexis bounced on the car seat, a smile covering her face, so when she realized they were going to see Kate. Rick was excited about it too. He missed her. He missed Katie Beckett, the beautiful, kind woman he had fallen in love with. Not Detective Beckett, tough woman whose poker face didn't let any feelings slip, just his Katie.
They had not expected to see her like that when they came out of the elevator. Kate was a wreck! She had circles under her eyes that were way too dark to cover up with make-up. She was thinner, sick-thin, not work-out thin. She seemed weak, but still refused to stop working. She had her eyes glued on the murder board in front of her.
The case she'd been working on was related to the russian mobster, Vladimir Pavel Medved. Whoever the killer was, he/she was already considered a serial, because there were more than three victims. Esposito noticed their presence and rushed to them, to distract Alexis. "Hey, Lexie-Bear! Long time no see! How are you?"
"I'm good, Uncle Javi! I'm here to see mommy, 'cause I miss her very, very much!"
He picked the kid up and tickled her tummy. "Your mommy's kinda busy right now. Would you mind hanging out with Uncle Kevin and I for a little bit?" Alexis shook her head and smiled, waving for her dad as Javier took her to the break room.
Kate didn't even notice they're presence at first, she was still focused on the murder board, so Rick approached her. "You haven't been sleeping." he stated. She turned to him and smiled slightly.
"Hey, Rick." he came a closer and wrapped his arm around her waist as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm so tired." she whispered, more to herself than to him, closing her eyes.
"Beckett!" she was startled by the captain yelling her name from his office's door. "Take the rest of the week off." she tried to say something but he hushed her. "Your team is more than competent to close this case. You're no use here if you're not 100% in. Go home, get some rest, have fun with little Alexis and Writer-Boy over there. I don't want to see you here until Monday!"
"Okay, sir. Thank you." she grabbed her purse and jacket. "Let's go, Rick."
He took her hand and guided her to the break room, where they saw the two detectives sitting on the floor, proudly watching Alexis draw them a picture.
"There's my sweet girl." Kate said as she reached the door, and Alexis quickly stood up and ran to her.
"I missed you, mommy!" she wrapped her little arms around Kate's waist and the older woman picked her up.
"I missed you too, sweety." she replied while rolling her eyes, because Esposito and Ryan both mouthed 'She calls you mommy.'
"Let's go home, honey. Say goodbye to Uncle Kevin and Uncle Javi." she set the girl on the floor again.
She handed her drawing - of Ryan and Esposito - to both of them and said goodbye, before Kate took her little hand and they left the precinct. The car service was still waiting outside. On the drive to the loft, Kate fell asleep on Rick, and Alexis on her. When they arrived, he woke them both and rode to the loft.
Kate took a quick warm shower, just so she wouldn't smell like the precinct, and went to bed, curling beneath the covers. Soon, she felt something tug on her hand and when she opened her eyes, she saw Alexis standing in front of the bed in her Disney Princesses PJs."Mommy, can I lay there with you?"
"Of course, honey. Hop up." she pushed herself to the middle of the bed, giving Alexis the space to lay with her. The girl layed down and cuddled with Kate, who pulled the covers over her. "So much better now that you're hear with me." she whispered by the girl's ear and placed a kiss in her hair.
Rick found them both sound asleep, on his bed, and couldn't help but take a picture. Then, he layed down on the empty side of the bed, next to Kate and wrapped his arm around her. They made the perfect family and he needed nothing else.
Kate sighed heavily, rubbing her eyes before stretching her arms and her back. She had been in an extremely uncomfortable position for the last six hours, lying between Rick - who had a tight grip around her waist - and Alexis. She looked down at her beautiful little girl. The redhead wasn't really hers, but she felt like it was and that's all that mattered.
She moved Rick's heavy warm arm away from her and sat up, immediately missing the heat. She was hungry, for sure. She looked at her father's watch on the bedside table. 3:25 am. Damn it, too early to cook breakfast.
Kate stood up, careful not to move too fast and wake Rick and Alexis up. She walked out of the bedroom and into his office, to pick a book from the shelves and read for a while, so the time would pass faster and she would forget about being hungry. She chose one of Rick's books, 'In a Hail of Bullets'. His copy seemed intact, the complete opposite of hers, which were completely worn out by the several times she had read it.
She didn't get too far on the reading. When she reached page 7, she heard noise coming from the living room. First, she thought it was Martha coming back from one of those 'rehearsals' that everyone - but Alexis - knew was a date and she'd not be back until much later that day, but it was definitely the sound of high-heels on the wooden floor.
Kate tiptoed to the door and tried to listen through it. Nothing. She opened it and walked into the living room, thinking she was extremely paranoid and should go back to bed when she saw nothing, but a loud crash was heard and she quickly turned her head in the direction of the sound.
Meredith, Alexis' mother, was standing in the kitchen watching as the glass - which she had dropped - shattered in one million pieces. Then, the redhead lifted her head up, swearing under her breath, and came across Kate's astonished expression. "What are you still doing here, bitch?" she yelled.
Kate didn't answer, she was too surprised to do so. She felt her mouth open and close several times as she asked herself how the woman had gotten in. Meredith mirrored her expression sarcastically. "What now, detective? Cat ate your tongue or was it Richard finally taking you in his bed?"
She wanted to hit Meredith just like the redhead had done to her a few months before, but it'd wouldn't be right to do it." Ain't you going to say something?" Meredith all but yelled.
Kate shivered, scared of the decibels that woman could produce. As she thought of how to deal with, maybe even control, the situation without waking up either Rick or Alexis, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. A familiar warm hand that made her tense body relax as she finally felt safe. "Meredith! What the hell are you doing here?"
"I'm here to see my daughter, Alexis. It's my right to do so. I had to take a cab from the airport just because you wouldn't pick the damn phone and used my spare key to come in, but now I see you were too busy fucking this bitch -"
"I've already told you Kate is no bitch. You are! You are the one who cheated on me with the director of one of the freaking movies you were working on and left me with a 6-months-old baby, who needed her mother!"
"Don't you there say that, Richard!"
"Mommy, what's going on?" they heard Alexis' hoarse voice and stopped, watching as she came through the bedroom's door. Hearing the word 'Mommy', Meredith tried to approach her, but stopped herself when her daughter walked to Kate and tugged on her shirt so the woman would lift her up in her arms. Then, the kid noticed Meredith. "What is she doing here? I don't want her here, mommy. She hurt your cheek that day, she's mean!"
"Alexis, I'm your mommy, she isn't. I'm here to see you."
"You're not my mommy!" Alexis spat back "You're not my mommy because mommies show love, mommies are kind, sweet, loving and always here when needed. Mommies are supposed take their children to school, help them with homework, put them to sleep, spend some good time doing something her kids actually want to do. You are always here because of an audition, never for me, and you know I hate to go shopping for clothes, but you always drag me to the mall with you! You. Are. Not. My. Mommy! Katie is!"
All three adults were taken aback by the anger in the little girl's voice. Neither of them had ever expected Alexis to say something like that, it just wasn't like her. But, apparently, years of rage building up inside her had just come out and she buried her chubby face on the crook of Kate's neck and cried herself out. "It's okay, baby. It's okay. Mommy's here, I love you."
Kate walked away, back into the master bedroom, trying to soothe Alexis as she sobbed. She could hear Rick and Meredith fighting in the living room, but, with the door closed, she couldn't distinguish what they were saying exactly. She heard the front door slam close and sighed, as she felt Alexis start to relax against her. "Is she gone now?" the little redhead asked.
"I think so, honey." she kissed the top of the girl's head. "Why don't we go and see how your daddy is doing? He's all alone in the living room."
The girl only nodded and that was enough for Kate to lift her up and once more walk out of the bedroom. Rick was sitting on the couch, both hands on his head as he stared down at his feet. "Daddy." He looked up and half-smiled to his daughter. Kate put her down and she ran to her father, sitting on his lap. "Are you mad?"
"No! No, honey! I'm not mad. I'm so very proud of you. I love you, you know that?"
"I do!" she squealed and kissed his cheek, before signaling for Kate to come closer and sit next to them. "You two love me and I love both of you."
"I love you too." they said in unison, soon forgetting the whole Meredith situation as they cuddled on the huge living room couch, talking first, but finally drifting into a peaceful slumber.