Disclaimer: They're not mine. I'm only borrowing them for the summer. Andrew Marlowe is doing a spectacular job. Way better than I could ever do.
And All The Mornings Ever After
Chapter 21 – Apologies
"Can I come in?" Alexis asked Kate, her eyes sliding uncomfortably to the floor and back up again as she hovered in the doorway of her father's bedroom, slim and fragile, hair like burnished copper snaking down across her back.
Kate cast a quick glance over her shoulder at Castle.
"Sure, Alexis," she said kindly, swinging the door open wider to usher her inside.
Castle swung his legs round to sit on the edge of the bed. He rested his hands on his thighs, staring at the floor for a few seconds, and then he turned his head to look at Alexis.
"I'm really sorry, dad," she said sorrowfully, twisting the hem of her shirt in her fingers like a child. "I didn't mean what I said out there. I guess I was just…embarrassed in front of my friends. But it was selfish and immature of me, and I'm really sorry. So much for being valedictorian," she added, looking at her feet once more.
"Guys, I'm just gonna go and find Martha. Leave you two to talk," said Kate uneasily, before heading out into the office, feeling it was distinctly not her place to be there right now, listening to that.
"No, Kate. Wait," said Castle, getting up off the bed and following her out. He slid his arm around her shoulders and gently turned her around, guided her back into the bedroom.
"It's not me you should be apologizing to, Alexis. If you should be saying sorry to anyone, it's Kate."
"Rick…" said Kate, an edge of discomfort in her voice.
She shook her head at her partner, desperate not to alienate Alexis any further by having her father force an apology from the girl on her behalf.
"It's okay, Kate. Dad's right. I said some hurtful things, some thoughtless stuff out there, and I am sorry. I shouldn't have lashed out like that."
"Yeah, well, we weren't exactly innocent in the whole thing either," said Kate, trying to be conciliatory. "Were we, Rick?" she added, nudging Castle in the ribs to get him to join in their little group apology.
"What did we do…?" he started to protest, until Kate silenced him mid-question with a stern look and the ever-effective use of her eyebrows. "Right," he said quietly, nodding at her. "We're sorry if we embarrassed you in front of your friends," he said grudgingly, diluting the impact of his mea culpa somewhat.
"See, that wasn't so hard. Was it Castle?" Kate pointed out, winking at Alexis in the hope of raising a smile.
"Just don't expect me to promise that it won't happen again," he tacked on, ruining the effect of his apology entirely. "This is still my house, and if I want to make out with my girlfriend wearing nothing but my slippers and a laser tag vest then I will. Understand?"
"Castle!" gasped Kate, covering her mouth with her hand.
Alexis grinned helplessly. "Dad, that is possibly the grossest thing you've ever said," she moaned, looking at her feet again in embarrassment, before adding swiftly, "No offense Kate."
"Eh, none taken, I think?" said Kate, glaring at her partner, who just grinned back in amusement.
"All I'm saying is, if you're having people over, pumpkin, then warn me. And answer your phone, oh daughter of mine," he said, placing a loud, sloppy kiss on her forehead.
"Ewww, gross, dad," complained Alexis, pushing him away.
"As for the other stuff, Alexis. I just want to say that Kate has treated you like an adult, sweetheart. She didn't have to tell you what happened to her the other day, but she did, out of respect for you. And I think you need to show her the same level of courtesy. Don't you?"
Alexis nodded silently, and then she turned to Kate and drew her into a short and slightly awkward hug. "I'm sorry," she whispered, before letting Kate go.
"Well, I think we can all agree that there are things we could have done differently. How about we work out a plan for dinner? My treat," offered Kate, keen for them all just to move on, before anyone got anymore bent out of shape over what amounted to a bunch of misunderstandings.
"I vote we order in," said Alexis. "Gram just got back from the Hamptons, and she's totally over the moon about you guys. You should hear her singing upstairs while she's unpacking. Tragic! If we go out for dinner tonight she's going to totally embarrass us all."
Kate laughed, throaty and loud, her eyes sparkling with humor. Castle stared at her, utterly love struck and making no effort to hide it. She felt her cheeks getting warm, wishing, not for the first time, that they were alone right now.
She could see that Alexis was making an effort, and she felt for her. They'd ruined her little party, embarrassed the hell out of her in front of her friends, and all she wanted was for them to eat in and hang out at home tonight. The least Kate could do was support her.
"Then I'll second that. Rick?" she asked, tugging on Castle's belt to get his attention.
His mind was elsewhere, as he watched his daughter and his girlfriend interact, admiring the generous way they'd reached a detente, when he'd been set on a showdown. He felt proud of both of them, and a little humbled too.
"Dad, you get a vote too," prompted Alexis.
"But you guys have already teamed up against me," he complained, amusement in his voice.
"Martha can have the casting vote if you decide you want to go out," said Kate.
"Then we'll have a deadlock for sure," said Castle. "When have you ever known your grandmother not to want a night out on the town?"
"You don't have a pet we can co-opt in to break that deadlock?" joked Kate. "Shame we don't have Royale anymore."
"We could call Lanie," suggested Alexis, with a wicked grin on her face.
"Great idea," agreed Kate, nudging Alexis. "She'll totally side with us."
"Lanie's your pet?" asked Castle. "Oh, she is gonna love that when I tell her."
"Dad," moaned Alexis, slapping her father's chest, "you're such a dork."
Castle drew his arms up to protect himself from the blow.
"I don't mind staying home tonight and ordering in. Pizza would be my choice, but I'm happy with whatever my girls decide," he said, drawing Kate and Alexis to him for a group hug.
"Jeez, dad, you're being weird today," Alexis complained, squirming out of his arms.
"Just today?" asked Kate, and Alexis laughed with her.
"Yeah, right. Weird is his default setting," squealed Alexis, when Castle lunged for her.
"Guys, guys, getting back to dinner. Alexis, can you order whatever everybody wants? My wallet is over there. I'm just going to freshen up a little," she said, making her way to the en suite bathroom.
"Here, take this," said Castle quietly, handing Alexis his own wallet instead, once Kate's back was turned.
"I heard that, Richard Castle. Don't listen to him, Alexis," called Kate from inside the bathroom where she was splashing water on her face having left the door ajar.
"Are you guys gonna be like this all the time?" asked Alexis gleefully.
"Like what?" asked Castle, suspiciously.
"Cute, and at odds, and totally easy to manipulate."
Kate popped her head round the bathroom door with her toothbrush in her hand.
"Yes, yes, and no, are the answers you're looking for, Castle," she supplied, grinning at Alexis triumphantly, and then high-fiving her partner. "Nice try though, Alexis. I admire your thinking. And like I already said, my wallet is on the bedside table."
Kate was bent over the vanity, brushing her teeth, when Castle let himself into the bathroom. He came over to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and bracketing her rear with his hips. He pushed himself up against her, rocking them both from side-to-side. Kate straighten up, foam around her mouth, to look at him in the mirror, a sparkling smile on her face.
"This is a nice greeting," she said, folding her arms across his and rocking with him.
He felt relaxed for the first time since he'd left Remy's that afternoon.
"You were amazing out there," he said, flattening his hand across her stomach as she wriggled up against him.
He marveled at the amazing sensation of having Kate's lithe body move under his hands.
"You fixed that whole mess with way fewer words than it would have taken me," he said, sounding genuinely impressed.
Kate shrugged.
"I got lots of practice at the Precinct wrangling you, Javi, and Kevin. I just think we need to cut her some slack right now. She has a virtual stranger staying in her home, and not in the guest room either, I might add. We've put us, our relationship, on fast forward, Castle. So she's coping with a lot."
"But you're not a stranger, Kate. Alexis met you at exactly the same time I did. She's known you as long as I have."
"Eh, not the same thing, Castle. Not the same thing at all," argued Kate, bending forward to spit in the sink and making Castle groan when she pushed back against him even more firmly. "Sorry," she grinned, when she straightened up again.
"No you're not, wicked woman. But that's okay, since I really enjoyed that little manoeuver," he leered, flexing his fingers against her stomach muscles.
"Just think of the hours we've spent working together. All the cases, the late night callouts, the meals we've shared, the arguments, and some of the jams we found ourselves in. You learn a lot about a person when you're handcuffed to them," Kate pointed out, turning in Castle's arms to face him.
"So, what did you learn about me that day?" he asked, fishing for compliments, while he played with the curls that fell in waves down her back.
Kate thought for second.
"That you carry beef jerky around in your back pants pocket. Oh, and you're a really sound sleeper," she said with a straight face.
Castle laughed, and tightened his arms around her.
"Eh, can I remind you that we'd been drugged," he said indignantly.
"Yes, and I still woke up first," countered Kate, poking him lightly in the stomach.
"Just think," he mused, brushing his lips against her temple, "if we'd been doing this back then…oh the fun we could have had in that basement. I mean they left us a mattress and everything."
"Yeah, it was kind of a romantic spot, when you put it like that," laughed Kate, "if you're partial to dark, damp holes in the ground, with tigers prowling just feet away while you…"
"While you what?" prompted Castle.
Kate smirked at him. "While you have sex."
"Now, see, I would have gone with 'make love'," he purred. "But then that's just me," smirked Castle, leaning down to kiss her lightly on the mouth.
"You are an old romantic soul, Richard Castle," murmured Kate, laying her head on his chest and snuggling up against him.
"Eh, less of the old, please? But the other part is true, as I intend to demonstrate to you."
"Are you're going to romance me, Castle?" grinned Kate, sounding pleased.
"Sure am. Every chance I get. So prepare yourself, Beckett."
They stood quietly for a minute or so, wrapped in each other's arms, swaying slightly, as if on the verge of dancing. Castle walked them round until they could both see themselves reflected in the mirror over the vanity.
"How on earth…no, why on earth did we wait so long to do this?" he asked quietly of their reflection. He looked awestruck and excited and just a little touch sad.
"I really don't know anymore," said Kate honestly. "I used to have an answer for that, Rick, but now...I just don't. It seems…wasteful, and cowardly, and just plain stupid – the time we've spent apart. And, hey, I blame myself for that. That wasn't a dig at you."
"But you fixed it. After I told you we were over, like the biggest, stupidest jerk in the world. You fixed it, Kate."
"I came to my senses, is what I did. I saw what I was about to lose, and…I just couldn't let that happen. I couldn't bear to watch you walk out of my life again, Castle. That's happened far too often, and…I'm just glad you listened to me, that you gave me a chance. I'm so happy that we made it in the end."
"Me too. Oh god, Kate, me too."
He squeezed her even tighter, until she flexed her fingers against his back alerting him to her pain, and he quickly released her.
"I'm sorry. I keep forgetting that you're hurt."
He stroked his hand gently down her spine, soothing her.
"Not for long. A few more days and the bruises will mostly be gone."
Castle kissed her neck, brushing his thumb over the fading bruise at her throat, wishing he could erase all that had happened that day. But the fact of the matter was that it had given him Kate. He just wished she hadn't been the one to pay the price for that.
"So, you ready to face your mother yet? We can't hide out in here forever you know. They'll think we're doing dirty things to one another, and when they think that," Kate added, toying with Castle's top button suggestively, "I actually want it to be true."
"She's gonna be all over this, isn't she?" Castle groaned.
"Hey, I had to go there first…alone," Kate reminded him, with a poke to the ribs, "in front of a room full of people."
"I suppose we should face the music."
"I can hold your hand if you like," Kate promised, tugging playfully on the front of his shirt. "She wants to know all about our big romantic moment, so she told me. You might want to make something up, other than…well, the brutal truth."
"You know what, Kate? I think I actually quite like the way things worked out for us in the end. It seems…fitting somehow."
"What? The violent storm, the soaking wet part, the desperation, the near rejection?"
"You know, the soaking wet part is my favorite bit," Castle confessed with a grin, crowding her back against the vanity unit with his body so that he could hold her there while he trailed his mouth down over her neck making her squirm with pleasure.
"Your mother is gonna wear you down anyway. She'll…oh god, Rick," Kate gasped, "smell a rat if we make something up. Just…keep it PG in front of Alexis. We've traumatized her enough for one day," said Kate, tipping her head back to give him better access to her neck.
A tingling excitement flooded down her spine and shot to her core, and she grasped Castle's head with both hands, running her fingers through his hair. Her heart was hammering in her chest.
"How about I traumatize you later?" he suggested with a roughish grin, his warm hands under her shirt stroking her back.
"Is that a promise?"
Kate smiled against his neck, lightly sucking on his skin.
"Oh, it's a date, Kate."
"Then let's go face your mother before you lose your nerve."
"You tell her I cried and you will regret it, Kate Beckett," he threatened, following her out through the bedroom.
"You gonna use your superpowers to stop me, Castle?"
"You have no idea, Kate. No idea."
Kate screamed when Castle grabbed for her and chased her out through the office and into the living room.
Martha was sitting on the sofa reading, and she looked up, startled, as they skidded across the floor like a couple of kids.
"Finally!" Martha exclaimed theatrically, her eyes lighting up. "I see Kate managed to talk you down off the ledge, darling? Well done dear," she said, turning to Kate.
Castle gave his mother a withering look as she grinned at him.
"Oh Richard, come here. Sit!" she commanded, patting the space next to her on the sofa.
Castle groaned and looked at Kate, whose face simply said – 'I did my bit, and now it's your turn, honey'.
"Now. Come. Sit, darling. Because we have some serious catching up to do. I want you to tell your dear mother everything that's been going on around here while I've been away? I want to hear everything that I've missed, do you hear? Everything, Richard," said Martha enthusiastically, waving him over.
Her eyes were shining when she patted her son's hand affectionately, and Kate watched him with an amused smile on her face.
He looked terrified.
A/N: They will get to have dinner soon, I promise. This is a long summer hiatus, so I'm just taking this at a leisurely pace. I hope no one objects. The reviews and comments are amazing. Thank you!