"I don't think I remember that," Castle mumbled as he tightly shut his eyes and held his hands over them, trying to rack his brain for the memory.
"I wouldn't expect you to," Kate replied with a shrug as she began to eat her waffle.
Castle didn't want to let this one go. He wanted to remember, he had to remember, definitely since he met Kate and Rory before. There must have been some sort of detail that he could recall upon.
He was ready to give up until a flash of Rory's captivating blue eyes came across him. And soon after that, the small voice of a little girl telling him that her mom wants to marry him came back to him.
"I do remember!" he abruptly spoke as his hands fell onto the table.
Lanie shot Kate a look before she brought her confused stare onto Castle.
"What do you remember?" Lanie questioned as she grabbed onto her orange juice she got when Kate was telling the story.
"I remember Rory's eyes and her small voice," Castle excitedly admitted with a playful grin.
"Not shocking that you remember them." Kate reached over for the syrup, so he ended up handing it to her.
"Why do you say that?" he curiously questioned.
"I'm guessing that you never really looked at them," Lanie jumped in with a smile.
"Well, most of the times that I did, it felt like they were piercing right through me, so I never looked at them for a long while."
"Understandable," Lanie replied in a teasing manner.
"I don't know how she does it either." Kate bit down on the bottom corner of her lip.
"Stare into your soul?" Lanie let out a loud laugh, which made her hand jump up to cover her mouth. "Sorry."
"Not that drastic, but close. All she does is just glare into your own eyes and it makes you feel super uneasy," Castle explained in a whisper because he felt like Rory was listening to them.
"Maybe you two should realize that she's only a teenager and can't do any harm to you," Kate said as she finished the last few bites of her waffle.
"She was violent the other day…" Castle didn't want to finish his train of thought because of the narrowed eyes he received from Kate.
"I doubt she would go after an adult. I really do," Kate slightly growled, causing him to squirm in his a seat a few times.
"What time is it?" Lanie inquired to get rid of the awkwardness.
"Almost one," Kate answered when she lifted her wrist to glance at her watch. "You need to head back?"
"Yeah," Lanie answered with a smile as she put her fork, cup, and napkins onto the plate. She brought them over to the sink before making her way to the door. "Call me later. I have something to talk to you about."
"You can do it here," Castle added in with a smirk.
"No, I can't." Lanie slid her shoes on and waited for Kate to appear beside her. "Thanks for… brunch. Be sure to call me later."
"Of course," Kate responded with a shrug before she hugged her best friend and opened the door for her. Once she was out of sight, she spun around to see Castle looking toward the living room. "What?"
"Nothing," he speedily answered and brought his attention back to his unfinished waffle.
Kate knew he saw something, so she walked into the living room to see Rory lying on the couch with her finger in her mouth. She decided to sit on the coffee table to grab her attention.
"What are you doing?"
Rory sluggishly turned her head toward her mom and shrugged before letting her eyes fall back on the ceiling.
Kate rolled her eyes before leaning forward and grabbing onto Rory's wrist. When she pulled it away from Rory's mouth, her finger fell out. She witnessed blood immediately start to gather on it.
"Were you trying to clean the razor, again?" she questioned with enough worry to make Rory sit up and stare at her.
"No, Mom. I was totally trying to cut my finger on the razor because that's what I do," Rory lowly spoke as she quickly averted her mom's annoyed glare.
"Did you clean it?" Kate inquired to avoid the conversation that could happen from what her daughter said.
"I am not putting peroxide on it, if that's what you're asking."
Kate slid off the table and made her way to the bathroom. She opened the mirror and pulled out the peroxide and a band-aid. After, she opened the sink drawer to grab onto a cotton ball. Once she had everything she needed, she walked back to the living room to find Rory hanging upside down over the back of the couch.
She cleared her throat, which made Rory flip over and peer over the cushion in her direction.
"Sit," Kate gently demanded and observed how Rory hopped over the back of the couch and sat with her legs crossed.
"No," Rory quickly disagreed with what she just saw in her mom's hand.
"Too bad." Kate took her seat back on the coffee table and unscrewed the top to the peroxide. She got the cotton ball pretty soaked with it before she let her stare fall onto her daughter. "Do you want to do it?"
"Nope." Rory shook her head and began to get off the couch until her mom softly pushed her shoulder back. Of course, it made her fall into her spot.
"Let me see." Since Kate couldn't get Rory to show her, she latched onto her daughter's arm and pulled it to her. "Jesus."
"Razors cut pretty bad," Rory murmured. She sharply bit down on her bottom lip when her mom wiped over her finger with the peroxide soaked cotton ball. "That's enough." She yanked her arm out of her mom's grasp and picked up the band-aid off her lap. It took her a few tries, but she got it to stay on her finger. "Now, I'm leaving."
Kate held her hand on Rory's shoulder to keep her seated. "What?"
"I'm going to my room?"
"You think you're going to be able to leave because I had guests come over. That's not how being grounded works."
"But I'm so bored!" Rory loudly whined and threw her head into the back of the couch.
"Maybe you will think about that the next time you decide to do something bad," Kate said harsher than she intended. She got back onto her feet and lightly patted her daughter's head before walking into the kitchen. "Almost done, Castle?"
"Actually, I've been done. I didn't want to interrupt you two," he kindly replied with a grin.
"Interrupt next time," Rory said loud enough for him to hear. "Fuckin' hate peroxide. It hurts like a bitch."
"Hold on one second." Kate gave him a forced smile, but it disappeared when she angrily marched to Rory. "Go to your room, now," she growled into her ear from behind the couch.
"What? Why?"
"I'm sick of your language. Now, go." Kate watched as Rory hesitantly got onto her feet and walked toward the hall. "Sorry about that," she apologized to Castle who simply shrugged. "I honestly don't know where she gets it from."
"Herself?" Castle guessed with a smile.
"Probably. I don't know," Kate answered with an exasperated sigh.
"I made you a cup of coffee." Castle decided to motion toward the mug to get Kate away from frustration.
"Thanks," she pleasantly responded as she lifted the cup and brought it to her lips. The taste of the amazing coffee made her eyes close in delight. When she opened them, she felt like Castle was closer, but that was only her imagination.
"I'm going to head out. I have an afternoon date with Alexis soon."
"What are you two going to do?" Kate curiously asked as she followed him to the door.
"Maybe go to a few museums and then dinner," he answered as he bent down to tie his shoes. "I'll see you soon?"
"You're allowed over in the morning before Rory wakes up, which varies."
"Okay."
Castle was much closer to Kate than he had ever been, except when they had their undercover kiss. He wanted his lips to connect with her teasing ones, but he believed that it wasn't time. Although Rory was better than before, he didn't want to mess it up. But he was just so close…
As he stepped forward, Kate took one back. She knew what he was going for, but she didn't want it yet. Well, she did, but she had a feeling Rory would walk into it and that would cause so many problems.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Castle," she nervously stammered as she opened the apartment door and watched him walk out.
"Until tomorrow, Detective," he said with his charming smile.
…..
"Hey, Mom, you're going to be late for work!" Rory shouted from the hall.
She was far more excited than ever that her mom was going back to work and she was no longer grounded. The two weeks went by exceedingly slow, but at least they were finally over.
Just as her mom's bedroom door opened, she went down on her stomach on the floor a little ways from the entrance to the hall, so she couldn't be spotted. The second her mom stepped out, she pulled the trigger on her Nerf gun. The dart hit her mom right in the forehead, which made her blue eyes widen.
What a perfect way to start the morning by getting her mom pissed.
"How are you even awake?" Kate frustratingly hissed as she walked down the hall. When she saw Rory hiding around the corner, she rolled her eyes. "Are you five?"
"Yes. Yes, I am." Rory grinned ear to ear, making her mom shake her head and walk toward the kitchen. She left her Nerf gun on the floor and sped after her mom. "I made you coffee."
"I see that." Kate picked up the mug on the right, which made her realize that there were two. "Who's the second…" She spun around on her heel to face her daughter. "Did you have coffee?"
"No. Why would I do that? You yell at me every single time that I drink some."
"Then what was in this one?" Kate beckoned toward the other mug.
"Tea. Green tea," Rory truthfully answered with a smile.
Kate annoyingly ran her hand down her face before she slid her fingers through her hair.
"What?" Rory questioned with furrowed brows.
"Green tea still has caffeine in it. Even if you do take your medicine, it will still have an effect."
"Why can't I have caffeine near you? I can control it!"
"Because you're caffeine sensitive. Very, very sensitive."
"I know that." Rory rolled her eyes in aggravation. "But some every once in a while won't kill me. Besides, green tea doesn't even have that much. Coffee on the other hand…"
"You know what?" Kate questioned as she headed toward the door.
"What?"
"If you do get hyped up, I won't be here." Kate gave her daughter a warm smile before she slid her flats on.
"What time will you be home?" Rory inquired since she wanted to do some things and she needed to know when to stop doing them. Getting caught on the first day of not being grounded was not something she wanted.
"Since there's no case, probably around seven. Why?" Kate narrowed her eyes, attempting to figure out what Rory was getting at.
"Just wondering." Rory heavily shrugged.
"You're grandpa will be here at 3 o'clock. Although you're no longer grounded, you will be checked on. Got it?"
"You act like I'm ten!"
"Sometimes you act like you are. The Nerf gun thing when I came out of my room is a perfect example." Kate took a few steps toward Rory. "Just behave, okay?"
"Fine," Rory huffed and annoyingly rolled her eyes.
Without warning, she was pulled into her mom's arms. For some strange reason, she didn't mind it too much because she knew her mom's life would be in danger if a case were to pop up. She would end up being on edge, wondering if her mom would actually be coming home. Great.
"Behave," Kate softly murmured as she planted a gentle kiss on Rory's forehead. "Please."
Rory gradually nodded her head as she watched her mom walk out of the apartment door. When she knew she was gone, she ran toward her room and climbed back into bed. Her plans with Trevor weren't for another few hours, so she had more time to sleep, and it was highly needed.
Immediately after she felt like she fell asleep, her phone started to go off, so she blindly reached for it. Once it was in her hand, she set it against her ear.
"Hello," she tiredly rasped as she rubbed her eyes to help wake up.
"I'll be there in ten minutes," Trevor enthusiastically announced on the other end.
"Mkay." Rory ended the call and rushed out of bed.
She quickly went through her dresser, causing a large mess on her floor. Once she found the purple shorts she was searching for and her Misfits tank top, she grabbed a pair of underwear out of the top drawer and ran to the bathroom.
It only seemed like she just put her mascara on when there was knocking from the door. She looked at the time on her phone to see it had been fifteen minutes. Instead of running to the door, she finished with her makeup and brushed her teeth.
As she headed toward the impatient knocking, she noticed that she had a few texts from her mom, so she opened them. They all asked where she was and if she was behaving. She ended up sending a message back, saying that she just woke up, again. After, she set her phone on the kitchen table before she opened the door to be met with a smiling Trevor.
"Hey."
That was all she had to say to be pulled into his arms and have him passionately kissing her.
When he eventually pulled away, she stayed on her tiptoes and kept her eyes on his lips. She definitely missed that.
"It feels like I haven't seen you in forever," he breathlessly murmured as he walked into the apartment, making her back up.
She watched him close the door and lock it. Seconds after he faced her again, she pulled the collar of his shirt down, so she could kiss him once more.
This time, their kiss was tremendously arousing, which made Rory lead him over to the couch. She fell back against the arm of it and onto the cushions. She playfully smirked when he began to climb over her.
She unquestionably missed his feverish, hot lips against her jaw and neck and the way he made her head spin. How did she go two weeks without him? He was ridiculously intoxicating and she couldn't wait for more.
…..
"Sit behind them," Trevor encouraged Rory as he shut the door to the room.
"They won't bite," Derek added in with a laugh as he strapped his bass on.
Rory narrowed her eyes at Derek as she plopped down on the drum stool. She never played drums before, but as her eyes deliberately scanned the cymbals, something felt right about them.
Just as she was about to ask Trevor for drumsticks, Derek hit a note on his bass, making her jump. She watched him scramble to turn down his amplifier, which made her laugh out loud.
"I forgot to turn it down last time," Derek stammered as he rubbed his ears.
"I can see that," Trevor replied as he shook his head. He walked over to the drum set and handed Rory two drumsticks. "We are going to play a riff over and over until you come up with something. Just keep your foot pressed down on the hi-hat, unless you plan to experiment with double bass. If you want, it can be the simplest beat." He gave her a bright smile before he backed away and nodded at Derek.
Rory listened to the music they were playing a few times. She didn't want to look like she was randomly hitting stuff, but a beat popped in her head. So, she closed her eyes and envisioned where her arms would be going across the kit. Once she was done, she gradually opened her eyes and began to play what she just thought of.
She was so lost in what she was doing that she didn't realize that Derek and Trevor stopped playing. When she did notice, she looked between the two of them and slowly brought her arms to her side.
"I told you I suck," she eventually stated with a shrug.
There was a long pause until Derek glanced over at Trevor.
"You're a fuckin' prodigy!" he gleefully exclaimed.
"What?" Rory questioned with her brows furrowed in confusion.
"Did you not hear yourself playing?" Trevor asked with his mouth still dropped open. "Are you positive you never played before?"
"I fuckin' recorded it too," Derek practically shouted from the smallish table near the door. "Listen." He pressed a few buttons to get to the play option. When he hit it, he turned back around to face everyone.
Once it became silent, Trevor lifted his guitar off his shoulder and set it against the wall. He walked around the drum set and deviously grinned.
"What?" Rory inquired with a slight smile.
"With enough practice and teaching from me or Derek, you could be one of the best drummers I know," he sincerely spoke.
"Honestly, Rory, you're brilliant. We just need to have your buddy…" Derek snapped his fingers at Trevor until he remembered. "We need to have Max take a listen since he's rhythm guitar."
"That's true." Trevor nodded as his eyes stayed glued onto Rory. "So, will you be our drummer?"
"I really like playing them. It's like something else takes over and it's really fucking fun," she enthused as she carefully set the drumsticks on the snare drum.
"I still can't believe it." Derek began to pace the room. He ran his hands through his messy hair, casting both Trevor and Rory a large grin. "This is fuckin' brilliant."
"We just need to teach her some stuff, have her listen to the songs we already have, so she can write in the drum parts, and get lyrics," Trevor voiced his thoughts aloud.
"I can help with lyrics if you want," Rory chimed in.
"Could you?" Trevor inquired and backed away when she made her way around the drum set.
"I don't see why not. I mean, we could all just meet here and write them together, but if you want me to come up with some stuff, sure." Rory gave them a large shrug before she plopped down on the couch to the far left. She picked her phone up off the cushion to see that she had four missed called from her mom. "What time is it? Oh, shit," she mumbled when she saw that it was past 8 o'clock.
"What?" Derek sped over and dropped down beside her.
"What he said," Trevor spoke as he dug his phone out of his back pocket.
"Well, I forgot that my mom was probably going to be home around seven and she sounds pretty pissed." Rory held her phone flat in her hand and put her voicemail on speaker.
I have been trying to get a hold of you for over an hour. When you listen to this, you best be on your way home. I'm not playing games anymore, Mallorie.
Rory bit down on her bottom lip pretty hard as she deleted it. She caught a glimpse of Derek holding his hand over his mouth. Her eyes narrowed at him until she realized he was trying not to laugh.
"You're an ass." She shoved his shoulder, making him tip over into the couch.
"You best be going home now, Mallorie," Derek teased with a loud chuckle.
"Come on." Trevor held his hand out to her until he felt hers. "I'll walk you."
"Leave the keys, so I can lock up," Derek said, getting tossed the keys. "See you tomorrow, Rory!"
Trevor guided Rory into the hall and toward the staircase. Once they descended the steps and walked outside, he felt her stiffen against him.
"What?" he gently asked, afraid he did something wrong.
"I swear I just saw my mom's car," Rory uncertainly whispered as she looked down the street.
"Doubt it." Trevor pulled her closer to his side, so his arm could wrap around her waist. "Let's get you home before you get grounded again."
"Oh shit. What if my eyes are still bloodshot?"
He stepped in front of her and pulled his phone out. He turned the flashlight on and shined it in her eyes.
"All clear," he assured with a smile.
"Okay, good," she replied with a large breath of relief.
They ended up taking the long way back to the apartment. Once in front of it, Rory let out an upset sigh.
"What's wrong?" Trevor curiously questioned as he pulled her in for a tight hug.
"It feels weird coming home before midnight," she giggled into his shirt. Her chin rested against his chest as she looked up at him. "I love you."
"I love you too," he murmured before their lips connected.
The kiss would have lasted longer if Rory's phone didn't start to ring. She had to force herself to pull away from Trevor to answer it. When she saw that it was her mom calling, she ignored it.
"I gotta go." She gave him another quick peck before dashing toward the door. "Call me."
"I will before I go to bed, as usual," he happily said.
Rory opted out on taking the elevator since the stairs would be faster. She opened the door to the stairway and practically flew up the steps. Once she got to the correct floor, she was a little out of breath, so she sluggishly made her way into the empty hall.
The moment she stood in front of the apartment door, a huge wave of anxiety took over. What if her mom grounded her for another two weeks? What if her mom could tell that she smoked weed today?
She began to falter away from the door and even more when she saw the handle turn.
Her mom looked absolutely, without a doubt, furious. If it was one of the classic cartoons, steam would probably be flowing out of her ears.
"Get inside, now," Kate hostilely demanded and made room for Rory to walk past her.
After they were both inside, she slammed the door shut and locked it. She observed how Rory frantically pulled her shoes off and walked toward her room.
"You're not walking away from this one, kid. Sit down in the kitchen," Kate frustratingly shouted, which made her daughter detour to the kitchen and heavily plop down in one of the chairs. "Why the hell weren't you answering my calls?"
"I couldn't hear them," Rory murmured as she kept her eyes fixated on the table.
"Were you at a party?"
"No." Rory shook her head and began to bounce her foot in apprehension.
"Then where were you?" Kate roughly pulled out the chair across from her daughter and sat in it.
"With Trev."
"Oh, I know that. Your grandpa said that he was here when he checked on you earlier," Kate angrily accused.
"Maybe for like a half hour," Rory uttered while she attempted to avoid her mom's eye contact, so she wouldn't get any more nervous than she already was.
"A half hour?"
"Yeah."
Kate shook her head and stood up. She kept her glare glued on Rory as she picked up the square wrappers on the counter. After she was closer to the table, she slammed them in front of her daughter, causing her to jump.
"That's a lie," Kate spoke in a deep, throttled manner.
Rory couldn't form enough saliva to swallow the large knot in the back of her throat. The two condom wrappers, that Trevor used, were directly in front of her.
"I'm sorry," Rory whispered the only thing that came to mind.
"No, I don't think you are. I think now that you're no longer grounded, you believe you can do whatever you damn please."
"I remember your rules…"
"Obviously you don't because I told you just last night that he is not allowed here when I'm not home. This-" She motioned her hand toward the condom wrappers. "-is why."
"I forgot," Rory nervously replied as she bit down on her tongue.
Before she was committed to the psychiatric hospital, she would never get scared of her mom when she yelled. It was like something in her head changed ever since the voices were gone, and she wanted it back. She wanted to be able to sit through the yelling, but she honestly couldn't. Nor could she get up to go hide in her room.
Since she didn't have the ability to move, tears began to form in her eyes. Immediately after one slipped onto her cheek, she folded her arms onto the table and let her head rest on them.
Kate didn't know how to react when she noticed that Rory's body was slightly shuddering, illustrating that she was crying. Never had she made Rory cry when she shouted.
She decided to squat down beside Rory and speak into her ear. "I'm sorry for yelling, but this can't go on in my house."
Rory abruptly slid the chair back, making her mom stand up and recede a few paces.
"I'm sorry I'm such a fuck up!" Rory yelled as she tightly held onto the hair at the sides of her head.
"That's not what-"
"Just please stop yelling at me," Rory blubbered as she sped toward her room. Little did she know that her mom would follow her and pull her into her arms. "I'm too weak now," she stuttered into her mom's shirt.
"No, you're not. You've been through a lot recently and me yelling probably didn't help. I was scared something happened because you weren't answering my calls. And then I come home and search the living room and your room to find empty condom wrappers," Kate gently murmured into Rory's ear. "I know I gave you a huge set of rules last night and I know I shouldn't have expected you to remember every single one. I'm sorry I upset you."
"Just don't yell at me like that," Rory hesitated as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
"I'm used to it because that was the only way I could get you to listen. I should have realized that you changed since you've been home." Kate wrapped her arms around her daughter's body tighter. "I'm so sorry that I made you cry. I feel horrible," she sincerely spoke, getting a nod against her chest. "You're not a fuck up, got it?"
"Yeah," Rory uncertainly answered, making her mom pull her away from her and cup her chin toward her. "I understand."
"Did you eat?" Kate questioned as she followed Rory over to the couch.
"No. I'm not hungry."
"Well, that's just too bad isn't it." She noticed that Rory's eyes were on her, so she walked into the kitchen and over to the stove. "I guess I'll eat this mac and cheese on my own."
Within seconds, Rory was beside her, peering into the pan to see her mom's homemade mac and cheese. She sniffled as she tilted her head toward her mom with a smile.
"Smiles are better," Kate hummed as she kissed her daughter's forward before she could get away.
...
"No one knows what it's like to be the bad man,
To be the sad man behind blue eyes.
No one knows what it's like,
To be hated, to be fated, to telling only lies."
The Who - Behind Blue Eyes