Chapter Twenty-Six

Tuesday

5:45 am

There was something about walking into the arms of a surprised Alexis that made her day every time she did it. No matter how many times the day had played out, this little moment was one that never ceased to put a smile on her face. Alexis was always quick to recover and cover the uncertainty and surprise in her eyes, but that little flash as Kate stepped through the door was enough to put a smile on her face every time.

Normally, it was anyway, this morning, knowing it was one of those days that Rick had talked her into taking the day off to take her mind off of Keagan and the nearly feral need she had to find the answer to how they were going to end this thing, she felt something else. It wasn't the first time in the more than a month of Tuesdays she had appeared at the door to be greeted by the teenager that she considered what it might be like to walk through the doors and have Alexis' reaction be more of recognition and acceptance than surprise.

This part of her day had very little variation from the previous days. She had honed in on a way of breaking through to Alexis in a short time and that was something she had worked hard to get through all the little pot holes that had the teen throwing up her guard. She had reached the point where the explanation of her appearance in their house and her feelings for the girl's father were addressed and passed through quickly and with a level of maturity that still surprised her. Today, without knowing why, she felt like shaking things up.

Instead of following the routine she had established with Alexis these past days, she walked into the living room and dropped onto the sofa, unsurprised when Alexis was there in a moment, confused expression in place and carefully taking a seat on the sofa somewhat near her.

Kate skipped the pleasantries of the days before, didn't wait for Alexis to drag the information from her as she had discovered the girl was more comfortable with. Instead, Kate turned towards her on the couch, slanting one knee across the cushion to allow full rotation. ""Yesterday I was fine with my life." she informed the girl to an expected rising of her eyebrows in question. "Today I'm not fine with it anymore."

"Is everything ok?"

Kate had to smile at that. If nothing else, even in confusion, the girl was a caring individual who could obviously read the seriousness of the situation even if she had no idea where things were going in this particular conversation. "No, everything is not ok."

She saw the worried look and watched as Alexis' wheels of worry obviously started to spin as she tried to figure out which person in their shared knowledge something had happened to. Kate gave her a smile to let her know it wasn't anything as troubling as all that and watched her visibly relax. "What's up?" Alexis finally managed, sounding almost casual and had Kate not spent so many days in the girl's company she might have actually believed that she was undisturbed by it all.

Kate felt a sense of hesitation grip her in the light of what she was going to tell the girl, but then she shook it off because she knew it didn't matter. She needed this. She needed the deviation from the norm and the alteration in a routine that had become stale and impersonal. "I'm in love."

Alexis seemed hesitant and Kate didn't miss the quick glance the teen shot towards her father's bedroom door. "You're not here to see my dad?"

This was the question she had expected. Knowing she could say yes now and put Alexis out of her misery, Kate instead shifted in her seat as if uncomfortable. "No. I wanted to talk to you."

Alexis openly stare at her for a long moment before she seemed to find her way back to a neutral expression. "Why?" she finally managed to ask and Kate saw the anxiety in the girls expression that said she was apprehensive about this conversation.

Something in Kate enjoyed that change of pace and decided that she wasn't going to put the girl out of her misery just yet. "See, the way I figure it, you've done this more recently than me and I thought you might have some words of wisdom on how I'm supposed to deal with all this."

"Oh, Kate," she started nervously and Beckett couldn't have been more proud. It was the earliest in their morning conversations that she had been able to get the girl to use her first name, even if it was at the price of making her incredibly uncomfortable. It was obvious from the way her voice caught and her eyes shot back to her dad's room again. She thought Kate was talking about someone else and her loyalty to her father was making it difficult to decide whether she was going to be able to give Kate the answers she was looking for without violating her father/daughter relationship. "I really don't know what you could want from me."

"How about I explain why your input is vital and we go from there?"

Alexis' only reaction was a small nod that didn't hide the girl's hesitation.

Kate almost smiled, which would have blown everything. Playing with people was something that Castle was more fond of than her, but he had apparently rubbed off on her quite a bit if the sense of accomplishment this morning was giving her was any indication. She was excited to tell Alexis for the first time in weeks and despite how comfortably they had discussed things over the past several weeks of Tuesdays, she actually liked this way better. It was more exciting. She wondered if there was going to be enough odd ways of breaking the new to her to keep Kate this interested in her mornings for many more to come. She hoped so, because it was only her actions that caused new reactions. Without her changing anything life had gotten pretty stale.

"You have a unique viewpoint that I couldn't resist seeking out." Alexis cocked her head to the side slightly in question, but remained silent. "See, this guy I've fallen for has something in common with you and I couldn't see myself going further without getting your opinion on a few things."

Alexis' confusion had reached a new level, but the girl simply nodded, "Ok."

Kate did grin then, glad for the shift in reaction, but probably looking relieved in the positive response. "He has a teenager daughter and they are very close." Alexis seemed to be surprised, but Kate saw a bit of hope hiding in her eyes as if that one statement had tipped Beckett's hand enough to give away that she might be talking about her own dad. "So, what I'd like to ask you is whether you would be bothered by some woman falling for your dad?" She saw the spark of hope grow brighter and decided that she wasn't ready to give up the game, "I just want to know what to expect from her."

The light of hope died, but she watched Alexis straighten slightly in her seat and could tell she was giving serious thought to the question. It might not have been the set of circumstances she would have liked to see play out for her dad. Over the past many days, Kate had come to understand that Alexis wanted for her father to be happy Despite that, Kate could tell she cared about her as well and as much as she wanted things to work out differently, she still saw Kate as something of a friend. At least, saw it as enough that she was willing to put serious thought into the problem that she was having.

"I can't really answer for anyone else." she finally said, it was as if she was providing a legal disclaimer to state that she shouldn't be held responsible if her thoughts didn't turn out to be anywhere near the reality of the situation.

"Whatever you've got is going to be more than I know now. Please, Alexis." It was the plea more than anything that seemed to sway the teen to her way of thinking and she watched as the red-head nodded once before dropping into another short silence.

"First off, has she met you?" Kate nodded, she was certain this would be quite the inquisition so decided wherever possible she would answer without speaking or she might reveal too much, too soon. "Do you make her dad happy?" Again Kate nodded and watched the conflicting emotions in the girl. "Does she like you?"

That one Kate wasn't getting out of speaking so she hedged her bets and thought back to her views before this long day. "I guess, though sometimes I get the feeling that she thinks I'm not good enough for her dad." It wasn't a lie, and despite the progress she had made with Alexis she hadn't quite shaken that thought.

The confusion and conflict Alexis had been broadcasting in her features was gone in an instant, replaced with something more heated, something that looked an awful lot like outrage. "How dare she." Alexis gasped. "I'd say her dad is lucky to have someone like you care so much about him and if she doesn't like it then too bad, because she sounds like a spoiled brat." Kate tried to cut in, but Alexis continued, steamrolling over top of her attempt to diffuse the girl's outrage. "I can't believe it. You said you make him happy, what the Hell else could she ask for? She's a teenager for crying out loud, it's not like she needs her daddy every minute of the day. She'd have to be heartless to think that you weren't good enough for him. Girls like that shouldn't bother you. I don't care what she says, I say go for it. Love him and make him happy. She'll get over all her petty crap when she sees her dad is happy."

Kate felt a gentle flush come across her cheeks at the admiration being cast on her from Alexis and could have ended it there, but while they were talking hypotheticals, there were a few other things she had always wanted to know. "I think she's probably worried about how dangerous my job is. She doesn't want to see her dad get hurt if something happened to me."

Alexis shrugged, shadows falling over the heated anger as if the thought alone bothered her. It was gone in a moment and Alexis shifted on the couch to mirror her position. "You can die crossing the street with the way some of the cabbies drive here. That's a stupid excuse. Her dad is happy, whether that lasts a week or fifty years shouldn't be her concern. It's his choice to make." Alexis shook her head. "Besides," she continued, her tone solemn and far more serious that her age should allow. "When you love somebody, you should always love them like there's not going to be a tomorrow. He's lucky to have you Kate and I hope you'll introduce me to his kid so I can explain just how great you are."

Kate couldn't believe the level of commitment the girl showed to the thought and something she had been holding back furrowed to life inside her as tears welled in her eyes. She couldn't blink them back before Alexis saw and concern took the place of whatever she had been thinking. "Do you have any idea how incredible you are?" Kate finally asked, once she felt she could speak without her voice shaking.

Alexis grinned then as if sensing she needed the reprieve from heavy conversation she responded playfully, "To hear Dad say it, I'm better than whipped cream from a can."

Kate laughed then, her heart lighter than it had felt in over a month, "High praise coming from him."

Alexis gave her a smile, seeming to enjoy that Kate had appreciated the foray into the ridiculous they had taken. But just as quickly the smile fell away.

Kate couldn't play this little game anymore and with a tight smile she finally spoke, "Have I ever told you how much you mean to me?"

Alexis' eyes that had been swimming with the positive light of good humor a moment before became inquisitive. "Maybe." the girl replied, though Kate knew it was a cover. The previous dozens of days aside, she hadn't had more than a cursory relationship with the teen.

"You're an incredible young woman and your advice is more than valuable, it's valued." Kate tried to choose her words carefully and saw the softening of the girl in regards to her statement. "I think I love you as much as I love him."

"What?" the teen's confusion was something that Kate found more than a little cute.

"In different ways, of course." she clarified.

Alexis released a nervous laugh as if she couldn't control her surprise and that tiny bubble of sound was the only way to release it. "I should hope so." was her response before seeming to reign in her moment of surprise. "I hope I can meet her someday and tell her just how important you are."

Kate frowned slightly, not sure how Alexis hadn't made the connection yet, but intent on severing the illusion. "I don't think that's possible." Alexis almost looked hurt by her statement and as Kate replayed it in her head it did sound like she didn't want the girl she had just claimed to care about to have anything to do with the relationship she was building with another girl. Beckett was quick to amend her statement. "I just think it would be awkward,"

Alexis jumped in before Kate could finish the thought. "That's ridiculous." her voice had raised, but it wasn't yelling, though Kate could tell it was probably as close as the young woman ever let herself get to yelling. "I can't believe you'd say what you just did and then turn around and practically reclaim the words as if they meant nothing." Kate tried to cut her off, but she was like a freight train and barreled right over the interruption. "And anyways, if you really care about me and about him and his daughter then you wouldn't think it was a bad idea to introduce us. It wouldn't be awkward."

Kate pulled out her phone while Alexis continued to rattle off reasons that she shouldn't be ashamed of her relationship with the guy she'd mentioned or with the girl sitting next to her and once Alexis stopped to gather her nerve, Kate finally cut in. "I'll call her right now, but it will be a difficult conversation to have."

Alexis looked at her like she was crazy. "No more difficult than any other conversation." she attested, showing that she was just as stubborn and unrelenting as her father.

Kate almost laughed as she gave Alexis a shrug and then found the girl's number in her contact list and hit send. A moment later, Alexis' phone started to musically trill in the girl's pocket. The teen shot her an apologetic look as Kate put her own phone to her ear and watched her partner's daughter draw her phone from her pocket and look at the front with a confused expression.

As odd as it was already, Alexis smiled softly as she accepted the call and put the phone to her ear before saying a soft, "Hello."

The echo of hearing it through the phone and across the one seat that separated them was slightly disconcerting, but Kate pushed on. "Hi, Alexis. I wanted to introduce you to someone that is an important part of my life."

Alexis didn't have a response to that statement and just stared at Kate as if unable to fully comprehend what she was being told. Kate didn't give her long to think about it as she pulled the phone from her ear and held it towards the teen, "It's for you."

Instead of taking the phone that Kate was offering, Alexis ended the call and smiled at her with a confused brow. "Are you serious?"

"As serious as a double homicide." she replied and watched the grin split across the girl's face a moment before it fell away and she narrowed her eyes at Kate,

"You don't actually think those things about me, do you?"

Kate almost winced on remembering the tirade that Alexis had gone on from just the description she had provided of her own insecurities. "I don't really know how you feel about this, which is why I wanted to talk to you once I figured things out."

Alexis stared at her for a long moment. "You haven't told my dad?"

Kate smiled, knowing exactly what page she and Castle knew and recognized, but deciding to play with creative wording. "Wanted you opinion first." she replied with a casual shrug.

Alexis gave a surprised bark of laughter as she stood up from the couch and crossed the room to grab her backpack off the chair she had dropped it in on coming into the room with Kate a while before. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, Alexis gave Kate a reassuring smile. "I think you should go tell him. Put the poor guy out of his misery."

Kate smiled at that, she hadn't seen Alexis so excited at the prospect any of the other times they had discussed the issue. Perhaps it was the thought of what things would be like with her dad if Kate had found some other man and it wasn't him. Knowing Castle already had plans to have dinner with her that night, Kate asked Alexis to join them.

It was with a smile on her face and a confirmation that the teen was looking forward to dinner that Kate made her way to Rick's room in what had become the established routine of their days.

Deciding that there was something about trying new things and the reaction those surprises instilled in others, she headed to Castle's room with a devious plan already forming in her head.

x.x.x

A/N: So, I'd like to apologize for the delay and any future delay, but I will not provide the laundry list of excuses. You all know my writing by now and my posting 2-5 times per week, so you'd have to know that life has gotten seriously fucked in order for me to be gone so long. I hope all the internal changes I'm going through don't impact my writing style and everything as we wrap up comes out ok. I hope to give you the wrap up on this as quickly as possible, but I'm no longer making promises on timing because all my best laid plans seem to be falling to pieces.

Review that made my day: Long time after update reviewers, I want to give a special thanks to those of you who gave me little bits of encouragement every week or two as you waited for the next update. I know how terrible it is to have to wait on updates as you've all had to do and I appreciate every one of you for your patience and encouragement as I work through everything at home and in this story.

Thanks to everyone for reading.