Limping towards Alexis' bedroom as she clung onto the crutches that were helping her walk, Kate sighed as she knocked on the wooden door before nudging into it and walking inside, amazed to find the little girl sobbing in the middle of the bed with the blanket pulled over her head. Approaching it silently, Kate quickly sat down on the edge of the bed before resting the crutches against the wall and moving her fingers towards the edge of the duvet before she grasped it and slowly pulled it away from Alexis' body. She'd woken up a few moments ago in need of a drink, only to hear Alexis sobbing down the corridor and her concern had overtaken her exhaustion, giving her the strength to make it to the other bedroom while Rick remained fast asleep.

"Sweetheart what's wrong?" Kate asked, watching as Alexis turned to reveal the red marks that had appeared on her face. "Oh god Lex," the brunette mumbled in shock, staring at her as Alexis sat up and continued to sob. "You're okay sweetheart; do you have them anywhere else?" Kate asked, attempting to sound calm as the little girl shrugged. How the hell hadn't they noticed her starting to get chicken pox? "Can you stand up for a second, just so I can check where else they are?" Kate said quietly, the redhead moving off the bed before standing and allowing Kate to lift up her pyjama top to reveal the red marks.

"They're itchy Katie," Alexis moaned as Kate nodded, remembering when she'd had the chicken pox and the amount of trouble she'd gotten from her mother for scratching the marks that had appeared mainly on her hips. "I'm not going to be spotty forever am I?" she asked as the brunette laughed, her head shaking as she pressed a kiss to Alexis' forehead before the little girl climbed onto the bed again and laid down beside the detective who turned to face her in silence, her fingers starting to play with strands of Alexis' hair.

"Of course not Lex, you'll be spotty for a little while and then you'll be back to normal and you'll never have to have it again, it's only something you get once," Kate promised, relaxing back beside the redhead as her hand clung onto Alexis', keeping her close for a moment as she cuddled into Kate's side. "I should put some cream on those, make them less itchy," the brunette said quietly as Alexis shook her head and shut her eyes, her face burying into Kate's t-shirt while the older woman pulled the blanket up over them, keeping them warm as she looked down at her boyfriend's daughter. "Or we can just get some sleep and we'll put cream on them in the morning," Kate smiled, holding her close as Alexis remained perfectly silent in her arms.

"Love you Katie," Alexis finally yawned after a few moments of silence as Kate's smile continued to grow. Alexis loved her! Alexis Castle actually loved her.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Oh wow, they're new," Rick declared in shock as he entered his daughter's room to see Kate sitting up with a book while Alexis had her head rested on Kate's thighs, the red marks on her face shocking him as he approached the bed. "Chicken pox?" he asked quietly as Kate nodded and looked down briefly at the girl who was currently using her as a pillow, her fingers brushing hair away from Alexis' face while he sat down in the only space left on the bed.

"Her whole face is covered and her chest and back, her arms are a bit as well! She's got it worse than I ever did," she declared quickly, listing all the marks that she'd remembered seeing when she'd looked at the little girl. "I didn't look at her legs or anything but she was pretty uncomfortable when I came in last night, it's a miracle she's asleep now actually," Kate admitted as Rick nodded and lent across to kiss Alexis' forehead while Kate remained silent. "And you have your meeting," Kate sighed as Rick nodded quietly, hating that Gina had got so angry that he'd 'run away' with his girlfriend and had abandoned his work that she'd decided to book a hotel and hold a meeting with him and Paula.

"I'm going to cancel, she needs me today. She gets clingy when she's sick, especially when she has something bad like this," Rick said quietly as Kate shook her head and ran her fingers across his cheek as he yawned, obviously still exhausted. "Katie," he began as she began to shake her head again.

"You need to get Gina to leave us alone Rick," Kate muttered as she leant across and kissed him. "Go to your meeting, I'll look after Alexis and then you can come home and look after us like I know you want too," she declared as he laughed and nodded, his lips pressing against the detective's forehead as she smiled. "I can't believe she booked into a hotel down here just so you could go to a meeting," the brunette moaned.

"I'm not surprised, if she doesn't get her chapter she becomes this monster. I can't believe I ever dated her," he admitted as Kate rolled her eyes and nodded, relaxing back against the headboard as Alexis moaned and began to move quietly, her eyes opening slowly as Rick smiled down at her for a moment. "Good morning leopard," Rick joked as Alexis shut her eyes again while Kate glared across at him, annoyed that he was making jokes about this! "Sweetheart I was joking, I'm sorry I wasn't thinking properly," the writer announced as her eyes slowly opened again. "How are you feeling pumpkin?"

"Itchy," Alexis moaned as Kate smiled and continued to look down at the small child who was curled up against her. "Are you going to your meeting today daddy?" the redhead asked quietly as Rick shut his eyes for a moment before shrugging. "You should go daddy, work's important," she declared as Kate smiled, knowing that Alexis was cleverer than most people believed, this little girl was going to be someone brilliant one day!

"I'll go to my meeting then Lex but just because you told me too," Rick declared before standing up and running his fingers through his hair while Alexis and Kate watched him. "I think I'm going to have a shower, I smell today," he declared as Alexis giggled lightly while Kate rolled her eyes, watching him walk out of the room before she looked down to see Alexis staring at her in silence.

"Let's get some cream on your spots," Kate declared, reaching across for one of the pots on the little girl's bedside table while Alexis removed her t-shirt quietly, the two of them completing the act in complete silence before Alexis relaxed back against Kate and shut her eyes, yawning when Kate began to tie back the redhead's hair. "They'll be gone soon, you just need to not itch them and relax for a while and then you'll be back to your normal cheerful self," Kate explained gently, listening as the shower continued to run in the room opposite them. If anyone had told her a year ago that she'd be curled in bed with a little girl with bad chicken pox while her famous boyfriend was showering in the other room, planning on leaving her alone for the day in the position of carer of his daughter, she would have told them that they were mad and yet here she was! Here she was, curled up with Alexis in a single bed while Rick prepared for his meeting in their bedroom.

"Katie," Alexis said quietly as the brunette nodded and looked at her. "Do you love my daddy?" the redhead asked as shock covered Kate's face. What had brought this on? "You kiss and cuddle and you act like people who are in love with each other so do you love my dad?" Alexis explained as Kate sighed and stared up at the ceiling for a moment, not knowing what to say to the little girl who was in her arms.

"Love isn't easy to explain sweetheart and it's something that grows over time. It's not a feeling that just appears overnight," Kate said simply as Alexis looked up at her in silence. "I'm not completely in love with your daddy sweetheart because all those feelings towards him are still growing, everything I feel about your daddy grows stronger every day and soon I'll probably be completely in love with him but right now I'm still getting to know him and getting to know you as well," Kate explained as Alexis nodded and moved so Kate's arms were wrapped tightly around her. "Does that answer your question?" Kate asked quickly as Alexis nodded and relaxed, the two of them falling silent when Rick entered the room and watched them quietly. "Are you going soon?" she questioned.

"I'm going now," he moaned, looking down at his watch briefly before looking across at them again.

"Try and have fun Rick. Don't be angry the whole way through your meeting because she's ruining your day," Kate declared, a groan leaving his lips as she laughed and reached up for his hand while attempting not to disturb the redhead who was now asleep against her again. "Call me when you're coming home, I'll order something for dinner," the brunette explained, leaning up to kiss him as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Look after her, if she gets any worse or you feel like you can't cope on your own call me and I'll come home," he declared as she nodded again, knowing that he was panicking about leaving his little girl with her when she was sick.

"Go, we'll be okay for one day," Kate promised, kissing him again as he smiled, knowing that he needed to calm down and leave. "I mean how much trouble can we get in? I've got a broken leg and she has chicken pox, it'll take a lot of effort just to get out of bed today," she joked as he laughed and nodded, his hand cupping her cheek as she leant in to kiss him again, moaning into his mouth as he continued to deepen the kiss. "Stop, your daughter is asleep on my lap, no sexy kissing allowed," Kate smiled as he nodded and took a step away. "I'll see you later Rick," she declared as he nodded and leant down to kiss Alexis' forehead before slowly walking out of the room.

XOOXOXOXOOXOXXOXOXO

"She's fine Rick," Kate laughed down the phone as she looked briefly down at the little girl who was cuddled into her arms while watching the Disney movie that Kate had put on a few moments ago. "She's currently watching Sleeping Beauty and she's covered in cream but she's completely fine and nothing bad has happened so stop calling me," the detective declared as the writer sighed, realising that he was properly being dramatic in calling or texting her every five minutes to make sure his daughter was okay.

"I'm just worried Kate, Alexis is sick and you're injured and I should be there to look after you because you're my girlfriend and I love…" he began before falling silent, the brunette staring across the room in shock as they both remained perfectly silent. "Because I guess I love you Katherine Beckett and I feel like I should be there to take care of you and my daughter," he stated as she bit into her lip before smiling. "Still there?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm still here Rick, I'm still here," she said quietly, unable to stop herself from smiling as Rick breathed out and fell silent again. "Is Gina treating you okay? No cruel behaviour or anything I need to arrest her for," Kate smiled as Rick laughed and shook his head, relaxing back as he took in what his girlfriend had just said and also what he'd said early. "When will you be home?" Kate asked quietly as she looked down to see the redhead still completely focused on the movie that was playing.

"Later, I'll be home later," Rick said quietly as Kate nodded slowly. "And when I get home, we are having dinner and then when Alexis is fast asleep, I am taking all your clothes off and making out with you because you are my girlfriend and I love you and I miss seeing you completely naked in our bed," he declared as she laughed, her smile continuing to grow as she shut her eyes for a moment, unable to stop thinking about him kissing her later that night completely naked, telling her that he loved her as they make out. "Kate, I need to go," he moaned.

"I know Rick," she sighed as she ran her fingers through Alexis' hair and smiled when she looked up at her before burying her face into Kate's t-shirt before yawning and shutting her eyes. "I'll see you later Rick, we'll definitely be having some fun tonight after hours," Kate declared as the writer laughed and nodded.

"Good," he declared before they both said goodbye and put the phones down, the brunette moving her arms tightly around the redhead as she buried her face into Alexis' hair before shutting her eyes and smiling to herself. Richard Castle said he loved her!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Honey I'm home," Rick called out, his voice full of laughter as he stepped into the house, noticing the flickering of light in the darkness in the direction of the living room as he smiled and approached it, trying to remain quiet as he pushed open the living room door and smiled at the sight in front of him. Kate was sat on the couch, candles covering the Chinese food decorated coffee table while the brunette smiled at him in his favourite shirt. "Now that's hot," he commented as she laughed and watched him approach her before leaning don to kiss her. "Alexis asleep?" he asked as she nodded.

"She had some food an hour ago but she was exhausted and although she wanted to stay up she fell asleep," she explained as he kissed her lips again before wrapping his arms tightly around her and reaching across for the food. "How was your meeting?" she asked quickly as she took her meal from him before pressing a kiss to his cheek and cuddling into his arms.

"A nightmare because it meant I wasn't here for you or Alexis today and I should have been," he admitted as she leant up and kissed him again, unable to stop herself as he moved her onto his lap, the brunette moaning when her cast hit the edge of the couch. "You okay?" he asked, noticing the moan as she nodded and smiled, kissing him again as he moved her meal back onto the table. "Eat later, make out now?" he asked as she nodded.

"Sounds perfect."