"Gift from Beyond"
Chapter 28
You shoulda got her the pony.
Chapter Posted: March 6 2014; WC: ~6.6k
Chapter Notes:
I split this chapter to make it a more reasonable size. This chapter, as well as the new next one have been causing me no end of trouble and has been a battle since well before the holidays. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to turn it out. Thank you for your patience and persistence.
The ride from the precinct had been one of the less usual ones for the partners. Rick got a call from his book agent Paula almost as soon as they got into the car. For the entire ride home he was on his phone discussing business and she was left alone with her thoughts to drive.
As he finishes his call, she's pulling into her parking space at Castle's building, she reaches out shutting off the car but leaving the key in the ignition and sitting back at the relief the sudden quiet brings. Letting out a sigh she speaks quietly to her partner in a very flat voice "Do you mind if we just sit for a couple of minutes?" closing her eyes and leaning her head back on the seat "I just want a moment of peace before we walk into the lion's den."
Reaching out Rick takes her hand in his and gives it a gentle squeeze. "Take your time dear." he says trying to reassure her. "We've got all the time you want. I'm sorry I wasn't much company during the ride. I promised Paula that I'd make myself available for that call, I just didn't think she'd catch me like this on the ride home and it would last so long."
"For cryin' out loud Rick. Don't apologize for doing your job! It's not like we were in the middle of... well, you know." she says smiling demurely. Giving his hand a squeeze she smiles. "Castle." she slowly says "Rick, I just want to say thank you for everything you've done for me. For us. You've been so supportive through all of this."
"No need to thank me. I did it all out of greedy self-interest." He says giving her a smile met by her smiling with her head back against the headrest still.
Leaning back to match her pose he adds "Just let me know when you're ready to go."
After a few minutes of meditative breathing she gives his hand a shake. "Well Mister Castle I suppose we should get going."
Smiling at her, she can see the love and care in his eyes. Instead of moving he turns more towards her "Kate, before we go, I want to ask you something that we've not talked about yet. I don't need you to answer me but I do need you to consider this question."
Turning slightly, she clasps his hand in both of hers. "Go ahead. Ask away."
"During all of our discussions since our meeting with the judge, we've both used the term 'family'." he says concentrating on their joined hands and feeling an almost imperceptible tensing. "I need to bring this up now because I want to make sure you know what you're talking about with as little ambiguity as possible. I want you to think about what it means to you. I don't want you to say anything for a moment. I'm going to give you a little list of questions that you need to consider."
Pausing momentarily and clearing his throat he begins "When you use the word family, do you mean you and your dad?" he hears her begin to inhale and he places a finger on her lips. "Please don't answer yet. Do you mean you and your team, which I hope includes me, as a metaphorical family. Do you mean you and me as a family? Or do you mean the larger you and me and our parents and children as the family. Kate darling, these questions, as much as I want to know the answers to them, are critical for you to decide what you mean when we're having our discussions." as he finishes he takes his finger away and brushes her cheek lovingly.
Closing her eyes partly, she leans into his touch feeling the soothing it gives to her soul. While he rubs her cheek, she smiles and murmurs "Seems our pesky pachyderm is back." with a bit of a sigh. "Rick, yes we have to address this but it scares the crap out of me. I agree with you, I need to know what I mean during these discussions and I think I do."
"Good." he says firmly. "So, are you ready to walk into that lion's den?" he asks twisting and reaching for his door handle.
"You don't want to know?" she asks timidly and a bit surprised.
"Yes, of course I do. With all my heart I want to know but for right this moment, it doesn't matter if I know. My asking you or pressuring you will do nothing but make this all harder on both of us. I'm sure you know what my feelings are so I'd rather you address this immediate issue first." He says sincerely.
"You really are something, y'know that?" she says smiling at him.
"I know, and ruggedly handsome too." he smirks "Lucky you." earning an eye-roll as his prize.
"Okay Mister Modest, let's get in there." she says giving him a gentle backhand to the chest.
"Ow! Oh the abuse! You'll have to kiss it and make it better." he jokes as he opens the door and gets out.
"Take a pill!" She calls out to him in rebuke smiling. "Come on Writer-Man," she says holding out her hand for him. "if you're good, maybe I will kiss it and make it better." she purrs as they walk to the elevator.
"Uh oh." he says.
"What?"
"With my memory what if I forget where you're supposed to kiss it to make it better?" he asks with that boyish grin on his face.
"Well, I guess it's just my burden to bear. I'll just have to make sure I cover all the likely places." she says bumping his shoulder and smiling.
Riding up in the elevator he pulls her into his arms for a searing kiss. "I have been waiting all day to do that to you." he whispers into her lips.
"You beat me to it by half a second." she smiles back before returning the passionate kiss.
The two, lost in each other, hear a soft voice behind them "You two children remind me of me and my late husband."
Turning around bright red and embarrassed at being caught, Kate is temporarily speechless at the old gray haired lady standing in the elevator doors in her big blue overcoat.
"Thank you Missus Moore." Rick says unflustered. "I take that as a compliment. I remember how much Mister Moore loved you."
An almost squeaky "Thank you." comes out of his partner as he puts his hand on the small of her back to lead her out of the elevator, holding his hand on the door to allow the elder woman to get in.
"Thank you dearie." She says to Rick for holding the door. "Mister Moore and I were surprised more than once when these automatic elevators started to be commonplace." She says unabashedly.
As the elevator doors close, she says "You kids be careful." to Kate with a wink causing a slight cough to be emitted from the usually stoic detective.
"Oh my god!, I feel like I just got busted by my Nana all over again." Kate says with a sheepish smile and an almost florescent color in her cheeks.
"Again?" Rick says to her gleefully. "What happened and how embarrassed were you?" he asks with a little too much enthusiasm in his voice at hearing her embarrassing stories.
"Never mind. We're here and that's not a conversation to have at family time." she says opening the door to the loft before he can rebut her statement.
"Ah Katherine! So nice to see you." Martha says giving her a warm hug after almost bumping into her. "Please let me have your coat." She says starting to help her out of her coat.
"Rats! I forgot something in the car. Sorry Martha, gotta run out again. Rick, can you take this?" She says handing him her notebook with her purse piled on it. "I'll be right back." she says going out the door again.
"What did she forget?" Martha asks her son as the door closes behind the detective.
"Darned if I know. She said she got me a present but there's no way that's it." He says hanging up his own coat and heading for the kitchen. "Is Alexis on schedule?" he asks his mother.
"Of course she is dear, she seems to have missed your genes for 'delay to the last possible moment' so she'll be here, and on time, as she said she would be." his mother tells him in a flourish while heading to the kitchen.
"Thank you mother." he says sourly. Now watching her move about the kitchen "What are you doing?" he asks.
"I'd restocked the liquor cabinet and the wine rack the day before yesterday and to be considerate of Jim, I'm going to make an effort to make them less obvious." she says moving things around.
"That's nice of you. Thank you." he says as the front door opens and Kate walks through with her ditty bag.
"Sorry about that. I forgot this in the car." she says a little out of breath and putting it on the floor near the bedroom door before hanging up her coat. "How are you doing Martha?"
"I'm doing fine Kate, thank you for asking. How about you? How's your day been?" the diva asks continuing her puttering around the kitchen.
"It's been going pretty well thank you." Kate tells her as she comes to lean against the kitchen counter. "It looks like the boys and the Captain might have cracked a huge case but other than that, I consider it an accomplishment to not have any paper cuts from all the forms I handled today.
"Don't let her kid you Mother, she had a big day today." Castle says puttering around the living room.
"Oh?" Martha asks turning to look at Kate.
"I don't know what he means." Kate says looking surprised. "Rick, what the heck are you talking about?" she demands as Martha continues to set up the kitchen.
"Mother, this lovely lady has essentially hit the karma lottery." Castle tells her cheerily.
"Oh how?" his mother asks without stopping her tasks.
"Mother? Attend please." Castle says to get her attention as he walks to stand next to his partner with his arm around her shoulder. "Kate got a phone call this morning."
"Richard. Enough of the melodrama. Say as you think and speak from thy soul." the redhead says sternly with her typical flair.
"Yeah Castle, spill." Kate adds with a touch of annoyance.
"Mother, our dear Katherine here received an unsolicited phone call from none other than Gina who proceeded to, drum roll please, apologize to her for acting unpleasant." Rick says brightly watching his mother for a reaction.
Martha froze in mid movement, arms stretched above her head. She turned to Kate with her eyes wide.
"Castle, don't be such a drama queen." Kate admonishes just as Martha regains her power of speech. "Is he serious? Did she really?" Martha asks the brunette.
"Uh... Yeah but it was-" Kate begins to answer a bit confused.
"Oh my dear!" Martha crows as she hurries around the counter to wrap Kate in a big hug. "This is spectacular news!" the diva says in grand style. "I don't really hate Gina but to think that she's run into someone whom she respects enough or just plain fears to apologize to and that it's our dear Kate is just delicious!"
"Really?" Kate says somewhat quietly.
"Oh yes dear. As you already know, Gina's a powerful woman with personality to match. It took Richard's intervention once for her to concede a point of contention between me and her. It took her another year before she actually admitted that she was wrong at all." Martha says going back to her tasks in the kitchen.
"Oh, I see." the detective says quietly.
"This is now the second time she's surrendered the high-ground to you." the elder woman tells her. While Kate considers this information Martha turns her attention to her son "Richard, what sort of food did you order? I'll put out serving utensils too." she says just as there's a knock on the door.
"That's probably Luigi now." Castle says heading for the door. Opening it he greets the man with a small team of people behind him. "Buon giorno Luigi!"
"Salve Riccardo!" The man dressed in a black suit says happily.
Stepping aside, Castle waves them in towards his dining-room. "Grazie tanto! Luigi." prompting the small team to file into the room and set up the food containers.
"Richard," the man says with a heavy accent "everything-a you ask-a for eez here. I hope-a you familia like." he says as his team, finishing their tasks, go to stand quietly and obediently next to the door to leave.
"Grazie amico mio! Luigi, you're too modest, I know everything will be perfect." Castle says shaking the man's hand and passing him some folded bills. "Before you say a word, that's for your employees who have always treated me and my guests like family."
"Grazie! You are famiglia! Grazie Riccardo." The man says smiling then turning to Martha still in the kitchen he says "Signora Rogers sei bellissima!"
"Oh Luigi! Grazie!" Martha says with a slight blush.
Hurrying to the door, Luigi opens it and scoots his little group out to the hallway and closes the door behind him.
"Oh my god! The smells!" Kate says with her eyes half closed as she sniffs the air.
"Ahhh.." Martha says enjoying the rich scents wafting around the room. "The food he turns out for us is so spectacular." she murmurs.
Smiling, Castle decrees "Well, it seems we've got almost everything we-" Click he's interrupted by the front door opening.
"Grams!" Alexis calls out to her grandmother as she drops her things at the door and scurries over for a hug.
"Dad!" Kate announces as she goes to the door to hug her father.
"Hiya Katie-bug." he returns with a tight hug as best he can with the somewhat unwieldy box in his hand.
"Hi Jim." Rick says reaching out to shake his one free hand while he's hugging his daughter. "I'll take your coat." he offers. "Alexis!" Rick calls out "Coat." telling her to toss him her coat and he'll hang it up.
Alexis, without skipping a beat continues chatting to her grandmother conspiratorially while she shakes off her coat and tosses it by the collar to Rick without even looking who catches it in mid-air while Jim eases his grip on Kate, handing her the box, to shoulder off his own coat which Rick takes from him to hang up.
Standing at the closet, having hung up their coats, he closes the door and turns around to take in the sight of the four people in his knitted family joyfully and animatedly chattering away with each other at the kitchen, catching up since their last gathering.
Without a word, Kate glances at him with that look that only he gets and returns her attention to the group but wordlessly, she's told him how much he and everyone else means to her and she asked, with that little glance, for him to come to her and join the group which he happily does.
"Rick," Jim says "I wanted to let you know, Kate's Nana said to thank you for the books you sent to her, she's thrilled to get them."
"You did what? What books?" Kate asks surprised and glaring at Rick.
"That's wonderful Jim." Rick answers as he wraps his arm around Kate's waist as he stands at her side. "I sent a complete set to the local library too. You know me, libraries are special places." Rick says smiling at the man. Both of them pretending to ignore Kate.
"What books? Where? What library?" Kate asks in a demanding tone with a touch of panic in it.
"Yes, she told me about that too. 'Said that the librarian called to thank her for them. She didn't even know you'd sent them. Nana suggested that next time Katie's there she can autograph her new collection." Jim says giving Rick a wink the two of them ignoring Kate's protestations about the situation.
"Daaaad!" Kate groans. "Alexis, did your father ever make a point of embarrassing you like this?"
"Do you mean like the four or five times he was voted one of New York's hottest and most eligible bachelors and most of the girls at school as well as some of the teachers were teasing me about it when they weren't trying to get dates with him?" the young redhead answers giving her father a burning stare.
"Yeah, okay, you've got a different perspective on this." she concedes waving her hands. "We'll leave that alone." Kate laughs. "Hey, let's get started on this food, it smells delicious!" she adds.
"I'll get drinks, what would everyone like?" Alexis volunteers heading for and opening the refrigerator. "We've got all the usual soft-drinks including-" she pauses "pomegranate seltzer?" she questions reading the bottle. "Dad, where do you find these crazy things?"
"Hey! Don't knock it, it's great. I'll take some, you can try it too." Castle calls out while helping Kate into her chair and Jim helps Martha.
With that everyone calls out their orders for drinks "Grape juice!", "Orange", "Water", "Water but I'll try that stuff." Kate says last.
As the last member of their little group joins them at the table they start to dish out the food to each other. Rick opens the conversation by pulling his notebook from his pocket, flipping it open and putting it on the table next to his plate. "Kate heard part of this story but not all of it." Now looking at Jim "You might not have heard the beginning of this. We, Alexis and I, had a run-in with an unsavory character yesterday morning and Kate took it upon herself to protect us."
"Yes Kate, thank you again." Alexis adds before taking a bite of her food.
"You're very welcome dear." Kate says to the girl. "However, it was the boys who really took care of him."
"I tried to say thank you to them" her father says "but they didn't want to hear it, they insisted that you're family." he tells the redhead.
"Wow." Alexis says absently staring at the plate in front of her.
"Oh, and Doctor Parish gave him some things to ponder too." Rick tells his daughter causing everyone to giggle. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. Jim, to catch you up, Alexis and I ran into one of those stalkeratzi, this one was named 'Archie Bunker'-"
At which Kate's father coughs while eating his meal causing everyone to laugh loudly.
"Seriously?" the man asks after trying to regain his dignity.
"Yes, truly. It's too good to not have taken notes during the retelling of it by the boys." Rick says sitting back and assuming his air of the storyteller. When all eyes were on him, he begins to recount the story and of the boy's telling it to him to everyone's great delight and more than a few cases of near asphyxiation. Even during the telling of the story, he himself had to stop a few times to collect himself that he found it so funny.
"Oh my god Rick, I'd not heard all of this!" Kate laughs.
"Some of it the boys told me while you were in with Gates and some of it I had to pester them to repeat the details so I could write them down."
Finally containing his laughter, Jim has to ask "You're seriously telling us that that nice lady I met, I think her name was Lanie?-"
"Yes, Doctor Lanie Parish." Alexis adds in.
"Thank you." He acknowledges to the girl, then continues the question "That Doctor Parish threatened to castrate this guy?" Kate's father asks incredulously.
"Actually Jim, she's a smart woman, she never even made any overt threats against him. She has one of those knives that could be mistaken for a Samurai sword. She was tapping it between his legs on the steel table he was sitting on while she's got some bloody... sorry everyone..." he offers around the table "some thing in her hand that she seems to have cut off of a male corpse on one of the tables." Castle says to raucous laughter from everyone again. "Ryan and Esposito had to hold him up because he kept passing out. Lanie was doing all sorts of things to a corpse right in front of him. The boys said they weren't watching anymore because they were feeling queasy."
"So what prompted her to do this?" Martha asks passing the rolls around the table.
Her son smiles saying "She seems to have taken exception to a comment that he made to the detectives when he first met them."
"What'd he say?" Alexis asks, as she takes a drink.
"I'm sorry to repeat this to you pumpkin." Rick says looking directly at his daughter. "Ryan, in front of Doctor Parish, said to Archie 'So you think that little redheaded girl with Castle is a sweet looking piece?' which seems to have triggered a maternal instinct Lanie wasn't aware she possessed."
"I should send her a thank you." Alexis says to herself out loud looking a little bit disgusted.
"Good idea."
"I think I might have to thank her next girl's night out." Kate says somewhat absently.
"And please deliver my gratitude to the dear lady." Martha adds seriously.
"So you know, by the end of it all the guy was confessing all sorts of things. If asked, he'd have confessed to being the second shooter on the grassy knoll by the time he left the morgue. Now, here's the Archie Bunker top ten er... nine." Rick says looking at his notebook.
"First off, it turns out he was serious when he told the boys he was wanted in Texas. They want him for assault on a young female country music star." Castle recites.
"Good place to piss off the police by running from the law." Jim laughs.
"He might of just spit on the state flag than to have picked on a young woman who plays country music." Martha adds passing a dish of food around causing everyone to laugh.
"She must have scared the crap out of him if he was choosing going back to Texas as the lesser of two evils." Kate muses.
"The way Ryan told it, he wasn't choosing as much as volunteering, on the verge of begging." Rick looks back at his notebook. "He confessed to the boys where he gets hot cameras from. He also told them where he gets his spy cameras from and the worst news, he said he is responsible for a secret spy camera in a changing room at that big lingerie store on Park Ave."
As soon as the words are out of his mouth both his mother and daughter drop their forks with a clatter and stare at each other wide-eyed with an audible 'Gulp' from both.
"Oh my god, there's not enough brain-bleach in the world for me now." Castle says shaking his head with his eyes closed.
"Don't worry." Kate says to Martha and Alexis. "Esposito asked Karpowski to go retrieve it and any recordings they can find. Since Karpowski's partner's in court, she's taking Johnson with her. Those two women will make sure that there's no evidence left." She says confidently.
"I don't care. It's too late for me." Rick says sullenly to Jim and Kate's laughter until they noticed that Alexis and Martha aren't laughing and still looking shocked to which Castle says to his daughter "I don't know what's worse that you or your grandmother had the idea of going to that shop and encouraged the other one to go along."
In perfect harmony, Martha and her granddaughter say "Next item please!"
Castle shakes his head, looks back to his notes and hesitantly continues. "Next, they found out he's wanted in Chicago on a bench warrant for unpaid child support payments but under a different name. His real name, which was given to the booking sergeant here is 'Sylvester Archibald Bunker.' When the boys checked on it they found that the I-R-S has been looking for him to garnish his wages for a while now."
"Wow, he's quite the overachiever." Alexis says as she sticks another fork of food into her mouth.
"He gave his real name to get booked in?" Kate asks.
"Yeah, truly. The sergeant was half a second away from asking Ryan and Esposito what they did to him to make him want to confess. When they said what they wanted to book him for, I think it was trespassing, he screamed 'I'm guilty! I confess!' and then he gave his real name to get booked in under." Castle says while still laughing.
"Good god. Sylvester? No wonder he goes by Archibald." the senior Beckett laughs "Obviously his parents never encountered a fifth grade school yard. Now there's a man who probably had it tough when he was growing up." to which they all chuckle.
Continuing again, Castle says "Ryan said that he's also wanted in L-A for multiple counts of trespassing and that a bench warrant was issued there when he didn't show up for a hearing." Looking at Kate he adds "Kev' thought you might want to call Seager yourself to let him know about the guy but since you were busy they did it and told him that you asked them to call. Seager says that they have an outstanding request from, are you ready for this, the State Department for this guy filed by the Chinese consulate in L-A for trespassing and taking compromising photos of the daughter of some Chinese official through the window of a hotel from across the street on a neighboring building. They're trying to decide if they'll request extradition."
"Lessee," Kate says holding out her hands palm up weighing the choices "prison in Texas or prison in China. Tough call." as everyone laughs at Archie's predicament.
"Maybe I can teach him how to say '哦,親愛的,我放棄了我的肥皂'" Castle offers in Chinese.
Jim looks at him disbelievingly "What's that mean?"
"Oh dear. I dropped my soap." Castle tells him trying to keep a straight face while everyone laughs heartily.
"How?-" Jim begins to ask only to be interrupted by Kate leaning in and telling her father "A T-V show he used to love."
"Oh. Good job." Jim smiles.
"Thanks!" Now looking back at his list Castle runs his finger down the list "Ah, here we are. When Ryan booked this guy's camera into evidence, he had tech look at the memory card and they found a bunch of deleted photos. Seems that Archie was occupying his off-hours taking photos through women's blinds and windows not to mention a bunch of up-skirt photos that made Javier want to wring his neck he got so mad."
"That is so disgusting." Alexis grumbles with a shiver.
"Now I want to get my hands around his neck." Kate says none too quietly.
"I second the motion." Martha says stabbing a piece of food on her plate with gusto.
"Was this jerk selling these pictures?" Jim asks, the distaste obvious.
"They don't think so. He made some comments when they challenged him and it seems his interest was strictly for his own mas... um... entertainment." Castle tells him while munching a bit more of the food on his plate.
"I guess I'll have to be nice to the boys." Kate says smiling at her partner.
"I think I should send them another dish of that vegetable lasagna I made for Lanie and Javier." The young redhead offers with a bright smile.
"Hey, I'll volunteer to help if you teach me how you do it." Kate tells her. "I've never figured out how you get it so that it cooks so evenly."
"You're on!" Alexis smiles.
"Okay Rick, got anymore on that list?" Kate prompts.
"Yes, I have a few more." Looking back at his list he mumbles to himself for a second then says "Yup. Ryan ran the serial number from the camera he had with him and it turns out to have been reported as stolen."
"He had a stolen camera on him?" Jim asks.
Castle, still smiling at how things have been playing out revels in the telling of the story. "Nope, turns out that he reported it as stolen himself to collect the insurance to the tune of about four grand. When Ryan talked to the insurance company they were extremely interested in the fact that he still had it. They said that they'll cancel all his insurance and be pressing charges against him for insurance fraud and the rep said that because he used the U-S Postal service to file the fraudulent claim, it's actually a federal offense and classified as grand theft. They didn't think that he'd be charged for it but Ryan was laughing at how scared this might get the guy when they use it on him."
"What an idiot!" Alexis adds. "How stupid can you be to keep it? Not that I encourage it but any fool would have known it'd be worth selling the camera and getting a different one to use so you don't get caught with the hot one."
"I have learned that there's no limit to the foolish things people will do for a dollar." Martha grumbles over her food.
"Now, for the last item on the list, it seems that while he was being processed, his car was found to have been broken into and all his belongings were stolen." Castle says causing everyone to say "Awwwww." with a pitiful sound. "The rep at his insurance company, when contacted again by Ryan, couldn't stop laughing and told him that it wasn't going to be their problem since as soon as the false report had been exposed, all of his insurance was cancelled. But, since his car was impounded for unpaid fines and tickets, it'll be quite a while until he gets a chance to get it back because he'll need proof of insurance and all the companies will know he's a fraud."
Everyone at the table is roaring with laughter at the twist this guy's life has taken suddenly. After the laughter dies down, while the usual 'around the table chatter' swells, it's Kate who speaks up. "This food is excellent. Rick, you have to thank Luigi again. What a great meal."
"Luigi always seems to make an extra effort when Richard calls him." Martha says. "I do think I have to agree, it was extra good tonight. But then again, it might just be the company." she says smiling at everyone.
"I'll second the motion." Alexis adds lifting her glass of seltzer.
"Rick, you done with your list?" Kate asks.
"Yes I am." He answers waiting to see what she decides to do.
"Why don't we take a break to clear the table and get out our desserts and then we can cover the important stuff." She suggests.
"Great idea." Martha says standing.
"I'll help." Alexis offers.
"Martha, can you spare Alexis for a moment?" Kate asks.
"Of course my dear, Richard and Jim just offered to help. Didn't you gentlemen?" Martha asks with an expectant tone in her voice.
"Ah Yeah!" Both guys say standing up in unison and smiling at each other as they start to grab dishes to bring to the kitchen.
"Alexis," Kate says "I have a present for you over here." which is just loud enough for Castle to hear causing him to pay extra attention while he's shuttling dishes to the kitchen.
"Oh Kate! You didn't need to do this." the girl protests while they walk across the loft.
"But I wanted to." Kate says to the girl. "The idea just hit me and I decided to do it for no real reason other than simply 'because'." she offers smiling.
As they reach the box Jim brought, Rick gets to the kitchen and says "What gives?" to Jim who only shrugs his shoulders in response.
The two men lean against the counter and watch as Kate picks up the box and hands it to Alexis. They can't hear what's being said but their little girls seem happy so they're happy too.
Rick begins to down the rest of his glass of bubbly seltzer while they watch.
A squeal of delight resounds around the loft as Alexis opens the box and holds up a black leather bike jacket. She hugs Kate as Rick has a spit-take blowing the water he just drank out in a cloud.
Alexis is jumping in excitement putting on the jacket as they watch.
"Wow. That's too bad." Jim dryly volunteers quietly. Then, after a moment says to Rick "I suppose you shoulda got her the pony when she asked for it."
Castle, wiping his face on his sleeve turns in wide-eyed shock to look at the man.
Still looking off to where the girls are, with his arms crossed over his chest Jim says wistfully "I remember when Katie got hooked on getting a motorcycle. She scared the crap out of me and her mother every single day. I wanted to send her to a nunnery, y'know, a convent. That was right around the time she started to date that grunge-rock idiot who always smelled like wet flannel or wet dog." Then after a considered pause he says, almost to no one, "She used to be such a 'good girl' back then." and he walks away from Rick to join his daughter and Alexis across the room without looking back.
Martha, having heard everything that was just said goes around the counter on the far side heading over to where the other three are, leaving Rick alone at the counter, wiping the water off of his face and gaping at the four.
When Martha catches up to Jim, she whispers "I'd like to say what you did was cruel but I can't with a straight face."
"Grams! How do you like it?" Alexis asks as her grandmother approaches. The girl giving a modeling pose with the jacket on.
"My dear you look lovely in that! Your hair stands out so well with it. Katherine," she says to the woman "this is a wonderful gift." she says with a hug.
"Oh Martha, it was my pleasure." Kate smiles returning the hug.
Quietly Alexis asks "Is dad okay?" when she sees the expression on his face.
"Alexis dear, your father's having a serious fatherly midlife crisis right now but he'll be back to normal in a short while." Martha tells her.
"Why?" The girl asks, still trying out the jacket's zippers and such.
"Well, it seems that Mister Beckett here has some puerile impulses of his own." the actress says with a reproachful look while giving him an elbow nudge. "Jim. Why don't you tell them what you said to him."
Castle, still standing at the counter, stares at the four people across the room, not really hearing what they're saying but listening to the chatter and watching his baby, now a woman, reveling in her newest costume. "There was a time all she needed to look that happy was her monkey-bunkey." he thinks to himself just as a burst of laughter from the four echoes around the loft and, still laughing, turn to look at him. Feeling a bit left out he swallows his pride and heads on over to the group.
"Hey." he says softly to Kate who reaches out to touch his arm.
"Dad! Dontcha love it!" Alexis bubbles again modeling her new coat acting as if she's driving a motorcycle.
Castle looks over at Jim with what can only be described as 'hurt puppy eyes'. "Yeah pumpkin, it's ... great." he forces himself to say to her.
Still bubbling, Alexis goes right where her father would've wished she didn't. "Kate, we'll have to plan a ride somewhere, I'd love to try it out!" she says hunkering down a bit and acting like she's driving a motorcycle. "Vroom vroom!" she says then laughs with everyone. Everyone but her father who's suddenly feeling very old.
"I'm so glad you like it Alexis." Kate says while trying to mask those unfamiliar maternal sensations.
"Kate, I love it!" the girl squeals giving the woman another hug. "Thank you so much!" As soon as they release each other Alexis breaks into a satirical Brando imitation "Nobody tells me what to do. You keep needlin' me, if I want to, I'm gonna take this joint apart and you're not gonna know what hit you." she says using a deep voice with swagger and exaggerated body language getting everyone to laugh heartily except her father who only smiles a little.
Martha, the wise woman she is, sees the eddies and currents of the moment and decides to give her son a little relief. "Not that I wouldn't like to see this darling continue to do her rendition of Johnny Strabler, I think we need to let these two tell us what they brought all of us together for." she says.
Alexis is the first to pipe up, "Yeah dad! I want to hear this. It's not quite the setting I'd imagined for an announcement-"
"Alexis!" Rick snaps. "What is it with everyone?" he asks turning towards Kate.
"We got it from the boys today too." Kate tells Alexis.
"Well Dad, I guess it's time-" his daughter starts with a wide grin.
"Why don't we let them tell us what they want?" Jim interrupts very gently. "I'm sure they've got plenty on their minds, they don't need us trying to direct the conversations." he says quietly.
"Thank you Jim." Rick says. "Yes. We'd like to get one thing taken care of at a time."
"Why don't we get some coffee and put out some deserts." Martha offers. "Alexis? Want to help?"
"Sure! Let me put my coat, oooh I love this coat, on the chair." she says still bubbling with happiness.
"Castle. You're in charge of coffee." Kate says authoritatively heading for the kitchen with the others.
"What? Why? Can't I just stand here and supervise?" he jokes feigning innocence as the others walk away from him.
"Really Rick? You've been surrounded by all these women for how long and you still haven't caught on?" Jim teases shaking his head adding "I'll help." with a smile directed at the women. "Martha, you have the patience of a saint to put up with him."
"Thank you Jim. I'm more than grateful that I've got reinforcements now." Martha says patting Kate's shoulder. "I'm not the spring chicken I used to be and he's a handful."
"Hey!" Castle calls out. "I can hear you! I'm right here!" then after a moment of letting the joke lie, throws up his hands and spits out "Fine! You win. I'll get the ice cream." he says smiling and joining the group preparing things and chattering on merrily.
Author's Post Script:
I would appreciate any comments you can leave for me. They don't have to be positive, just not mean or nasty. I really would like feedback about how my work is received. Thank you for reading and thank you in advance for your comments.
