Author's Note: In case anyone is interested and missed it, I posted a separate smutty insert to Chapter 36, that can be found on my author page. And now to return to actual plot.
Accidentally in Love
Chapter 38
Kate supposed she ought to have been expecting it but somehow, she was still surprised to find herself swamped when she got back to work on Tuesday after taking the long weekend off. In what seemed like the universe's way of evening the score after spending a blissful couple days in the Hamptons with Castle and Alexis (the universe? She made a mental note never to phrase it like that around Castle because he might never stop crowing over his influence), she was slammed with back-to-back cases after she returned so she crawled into bed after midnight every night and barely got a chance to catch her breath. And from some of the muttering she heard in the precinct, she guessed that she had a lot more of the same to look forward to as summer tended to be a busy season, homicide-wise, as if the heat brought out the insanity in people.
She grimaced and hesitated for just a moment before deciding and turning her car in the direction of the loft. It was already after 8 so she knew Castle and Alexis would have finished dinner long ago and Castle wasn't really expecting her since she'd texted him earlier when another body had dropped to let him know she wasn't sure when she'd be leaving work but she just wanted to see him. See them.
She missed them, so much, after not seeing them since Monday afternoon when they had returned to the City from the Hamptons. Three full days of not only not seeing Castle and Alexis but barely communicating with Castle at all because she'd been so busy that she and Castle had only been able to exchange a few text messages here and there. So here it was Friday evening and she'd spent the last four nights alone and hadn't so much as kissed Castle in four days—and she was finding that, as absurd as it sounded, one day, maybe two, was about as long as she was willing to go without kissing Castle. God, she was ridiculous. (No, not ridiculous, in love, a voice in her mind corrected, and she felt herself flush, biting her lip. Even thinking the words still had her heart fluttering wildly in her chest.)
Thanks to the Friday evening traffic, it seemed to take a short eternity before she finally reached the loft.
She smiled at the doorman as she lifted a hand in greeting as she passed through the lobby, feeling her mood lifting already just from the anticipation of finally seeing Castle and Alexis again, of being able to fall into bed with Castle, feel the warmth of his skin against hers.
The smile playing on her lips froze as the door of the loft swung open to reveal neither Castle nor Alexis (or even Martha) but a striking young woman with bright red hair that made her identity easy to guess—and had Kate's body already tensing. This had to be Meredith.
"Oh, um, hi, you must be Alexis's mother," she managed, forcing a small polite smile and holding out her hand. "I'm Kate Beckett… Rick's girlfriend," she added a little belatedly, sounding awkward to her own ears.
The woman—Meredith—blinked and then smiled brightly—and artificially, if Kate was any judge. "Of course, you must be Kate. I've heard so much about you." She did not shake Kate's hand, either not seeing it or simply ignoring it. Kate's money was on the latter but she only lowered her hand. And Meredith did, at least, step back to allow Kate inside. "My daughter seems to be besotted with you."
Kate was greeted by Alexis with a somewhat subdued "Hi, Kate," and a hug, after a quick, almost cautious glance at her mother.
Kate returned the girl's hug, giving the little girl a squeeze and passing a lightly caressing hand down Alexis's bright hair. "Hi, Alexis." She refused to moderate her greeting because of Meredith's presence but then she had no reason to be careful of Meredith's feelings. She bent so she was more on a level with Alexis. "How was school this week? How did your spelling quiz on Tuesday go?"
Alexis's expression brightened. "I got a 98% on the quiz Tuesday. Mrs. Forrester said I got the highest score in the class! Thank you for helping me study."
Kate grinned, giving the girl a high-five. "That's great, Alexis! And I'm sure you could have done just as well without my help."
Alexis shook her head quickly. "It was easier with you helping."
"You didn't tell me about your spelling quiz, Alexis," Meredith inserted, regaining Alexis's attention.
Alexis turned to look at her mother. "You didn't ask me, Mommy," she reasoned.
Kate bit back a smile. Clever girl.
"Well, I'm very proud of you for doing so well," Meredith praised and Kate wondered if it was being too catty to think that Meredith didn't actually care about Alexis's schooling at all but wasn't going to be outdone in praise. "And now we have something more to celebrate tomorrow, don't we, sweetie? We are just going to have the best day tomorrow, right, darling? We'll go out for a delicious brunch and then go shopping and then get a manicure so our nails will look fabulous. It'll be the best mother-daughter day ever, don't you think, Alexis?"
Alexis's answering smile was a shade wan. "It sounds fun but Mommy, we're not going to go anywhere outside the city, right?"
Meredith gave a trilling little laugh. "Why, no, sweetie, of course not."
Alexis persisted. "Because I'm supposed to go over to my friend Paige's house on Sunday to watch a movie and I don't want to miss it."
Kate inwardly frowned. Why was Alexis so concerned that she might be gone overnight on a shopping expedition? That was ridiculous—except Alexis was not a fanciful child given to wild imaginings.
Meredith only laughed again, as if Alexis was being ridiculous. "Don't be silly, darling. We'll be back after dinner."
Almost before Meredith finished speaking, Castle returned, hurrying back into the room from his office, only to pause as he saw Kate, his expression lighting up. "Sorry about that. Kate! Honey, you're home," he greeted Kate with only mildly less fervor than that usually associated with family members greeting soldiers returning home from war, wrapping his arms around Kate with enough enthusiasm to momentarily push the breath from her lungs before he kissed her hard, if briefly, and kept his arm around her even after the kiss ended.
Okay… It didn't take a genius to guess that this unusual display of affection—honey? He'd never used the endearment, or any endearment, with her before—had to do with Meredith, Castle clearly wanting to make a statement about their relationship.
Kate blinked but kept her expression as bland as possible, as if Castle greeted her like this every day. She had missed him and, well, she wasn't above a little possessive display to show her place in Castle's life.
"Richard, there you are, I was just getting to know your little friend better," Meredith chimed in.
Kate forcibly did not react to being referred to as Castle's 'little friend,' but she felt Castle stiffen. Clearly, Castle had the right idea in wanting to make their relationship clear to Meredith.
"Well, now you've met Kate. Satisfied?" he retorted coolly.
"Now, Richard, don't be like that. What kind of mother would I be if I didn't want to meet the woman my daughter is spending so much time with? Kids are so susceptible to influence, you know," Meredith added with a look and tone that would have done justice to a Hallmark movie's portrayal of the world's most loving and solicitous mother.
She turned to direct her smile at Kate. "I've heard so much about you from Alexis, I simply had to come out here and meet you for myself. You understand, don't you, Kate?"
Castle's tension spiked but Kate forced a smile. "Of course, it's completely understandable." She deliberately tightened her arm around Castle's waist, her fingers lightly squeezing his side, and he grasped her hand in his, although his tension didn't diminish by much.
He only looked over at Alexis, his expression softening. "I think it's time for you to get ready for bed, pumpkin."
"I know, Daddy," Alexis agreed, and glanced at Kate. "Good night, Kate. Good night, Mommy."
"Oh, but you don't have to say goodnight to me now, Alexis, darling," Meredith cooed. "I'll help you get ready for bed and then tuck you in." She glanced at Castle. "Kitten, you don't mind helping me get my bag upstairs, do you?"
Wait, what?
For the first time, Kate noticed that there was a suitcase—and not that small of one—sitting by the stairs. Meredith was staying here? And kitten?
She swore she heard Castle grinding his teeth but all he said, his tone firm and measured, was, "Meredith, I already told you, you are not staying here. I've called the Plaza Hotel to arrange a room for you and that's all set."
He glanced at Alexis, his entire demeanor changing, again. "Pumpkin, are you okay with your mom tucking you in?"
"Yes, Mommy can tuck me in," Alexis agreed before she threw herself at Castle, who released Kate in order to catch his daughter in his arms. "Good night, Daddy."
Castle pressed a kiss to Alexis's hair, his eyes falling closed, and Kate felt a little tightness in her throat at the look on his face. It wasn't as if she was unfamiliar with how much Castle loved Alexis but now, with Meredith around, it just made the emotion so much more poignant. He was so worried about his daughter, trying so hard to protect her from her own mother.
He released Alexis who gave Kate a small wave. "Good night, Kate." She hesitated and then asked, "Will I see you tomorrow?"
"Yes, you will. Sleep well, Alexis."
Alexis brightened before turning to her mom. "Okay, Mommy, I'm going to get ready for bed now."
"I'll help you. You must have some new clothes to show me too, don't you, sweetie?"
"Yes, Grams bought me some new stuff," Alexis agreed and went upstairs, accompanied by her mother, her voice trailing off as she described some of her new outfits for her mother's benefit.
Meredith's absence, temporary as it was, didn't do much to lessen Castle's tension so Kate turned towards him and tugged his head down to kiss him, slowly, lingeringly. Partly to distract him and lift his mood, yes, but also just because she wanted to. She'd missed him and spending almost a full week without him was not what she'd wanted to do.
It took him a moment before he responded but then there was no mistaking that he was into it, his arms locking around her, as he nipped lightly at her lower lip and then soothed it with his tongue before his tongue surged into her mouth, engaging in a delicious dance with hers.
She was breathless and sagging against him when the kiss eventually ended. "Better now?" she managed, not entirely steadily.
A smile curved his lips. "Much. I missed that, missed you. Sorry I wasn't here to… greet you at first," he added, a faint intonation of his voice telling her that what he meant was be there to act as a buffer between her and Meredith when they met. "I turned in the first draft of the book today and Gina called with some questions." He paused. "Did you eat dinner?"
"Yeah, Hassan and I ordered pizza while we were going through our latest vic's phone records earlier," she assured him.
"You've had a busy week. What is this, the third case you've had since Tuesday?"
"Yeah. The criminals might have just been saving it up until I got back," she joked.
"Stupid of them. With you around, they should know they'd never get away with it."
Silly man. "You seem to have put a lot of thought into it," she said with mock suspicion. "Should I be worried about what you get up to when I'm not around?"
"Nah, Alexis makes sure I behave, remember?"
"Oh right, of course. Well, she is very good at that," she agreed, biting back a smile.
He heaved an exaggerated sigh. "She's such a spoilsport, she never lets me have any fun."
"She didn't stop you over the police horse incident," she jibed.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Will you get over that already? I still don't think it's fair that you got a look at my confidential police record," he pretended to grumble.
"I'm saving it for blackmail material," she deadpanned.
"Hey, I resent that!" he yelped and she gave into her laugh and he joined her after a moment.
The shared laughter ended as he rested his forehead against hers. "Oh, Kate…" he sighed.
"Oh, Castle," she parroted teasingly.
A faint smile curved his lips and he brushed a kiss to the tip of her nose. "Funny, Beckett."
"I really am," she pretended to preen.
He huffed a soft laugh that was cut off at the sound of footsteps on the stairs and they broke apart, although Castle quite deliberately kept his arm around Kate's waist. Kate bit her lip, feeling discomfited at the realization that Meredith had probably heard at least a little of her and Castle's little exchange—but then decided she didn't care if Meredith had. After all, if anything was going to make it clear to Meredith that Kate and Castle were happy together, it would have been overhearing their teasing that bordered on flirtation.
Meredith appeared, looking melancholy, all but wiping away tears from her eyes.
Castle's voice was noticeably gentler as he asked, "What is it, Meredith? Is Alexis okay?"
Meredith sniffed a little and gave Castle a somewhat watery smile. "Oh, she's just fine. I was just realizing how long it's been since I last tucked her into bed."
Oh, the woman was good. Kate narrowed her eyes at Meredith. She might be being catty and possibly unfair but she really couldn't believe Meredith's sincerity. She remembered Alexis's small, hurt voice asking why her mom didn't like spending time with her, remembered too Alexis's gratitude whenever Kate did spend time with her, which spoke volumes for how little Alexis expected from women in her life. Meredith certainly had not tucked Alexis into bed recently but that was Meredith's fault.
She glanced at Castle. She might be skeptical of Meredith but she had no reason to like Meredith, whereas Castle… well, he had once been married to the woman and he was a man and most men were soft touches when it came to a woman's tears.
"Well, you've tucked her in now and you said you plan to spend the weekend with her," Castle responded, his voice mild but not noticeably warm.
Kate felt a little knot of unease dissolve. No, it didn't appear Castle was in much danger of trusting Meredith even if he was too kind a man to be harsh.
Meredith blinked rapidly—and beguilingly—up at Castle. "Of course I do. I've flown all this way to spend time with my daughter. Now, Richard, it was such a long flight and I'm terribly tired and since I've come all this way, are you sure I can't stay here with you and Alexis? I'm sure Kate doesn't mind, do you, Kate?"
Meredith turned to Kate and Kate had to answer, "I don't mind," because what choice did she have, although it was beyond her to inject any warmth into her voice. Because yes, she did mind. She trusted Castle but something about the mere idea of his ex-wife staying in the loft, even if it was in the guest room on a different floor from her and Castle, didn't sit right.
Castle shot a glance at Kate but only responded, "I already called the Plaza Hotel, like I told you, Meredith, and I can call up a car to be here in just a few minutes to take you right over so you won't need to do a thing." Except leave, of course, but Castle did not say that, Kate noted.
Meredith pouted prettily. "But kitten, you know I always prefer to stay here with you and Alexis when I'm in town."
Always? Meredith had stayed here at the loft before on her visits-even after their divorce? And what the hell was up with this 'kitten' business? Kate darted a glance at Castle. Kate could guess that Meredith meant the, um, endearment to soften Castle up but she clearly misjudged it because if anything, Castle appeared less receptive than ever.
"I'm calling the car service for you," he said shortly. "What time will you be here tomorrow to pick up Alexis?"
Meredith thought and then answered, "I should be here by noon and I plan to take Alexis to brunch before we go shopping."
"Noon," Castle repeated. "All right, Alexis will be ready." He pulled out his cell phone and made a call, arranging for a car, and then put his phone away. "Okay, Meredith, the car will be here in about 5 minutes, they said. I'll help you get your bag outside," he offered, darting a glance at Kate, who nodded.
Meredith turned a smile on Kate, as brightly as if it had been her idea all along to go to a hotel. "Well, it was so lovely to finally meet you, Kate, and I must say, it's so sweet of you to be so nice to my little girl. I do appreciate it."
Kate promptly manufactured a smile and put it on. "It was nice to meet you too and no thanks are necessary. Alexis is a great kid." Well, at least, that part she meant.
Meredith fluttered her fingers at Kate in a little wave. "I'm sure I'll see you again soon, Kate. Good night."
Kate clung to her smile. "Good night."
Castle met Kate's eyes for a moment. "I'll just be a few minutes."
Kate gave Castle a real smile. "I'll be here."
His expression lightened with a fleeting smile before he accompanied Meredith out of the loft, bringing her suitcase with him.
Left alone, Kate released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and went to put her gun away in Castle's safe. That done, she gave in to impulse and went upstairs to peek in on Alexis. Not because she didn't trust Meredith—she didn't but surely even Meredith could tuck Alexis into bed and Castle had appeared okay with it—but simply to make sure that Alexis was sleeping after the excitement of her mother showing up.
She was. The girl's breathing was deep and even but Kate couldn't help but wonder if there was a deeper meaning to the fact that even in her sleep, Alexis was clinging to Monkey Bunkey.
She made a small face but closed the girl's door quietly behind her and made her way back downstairs, detouring to the wine cooler to grab a bottle. She was still technically on duty—with an active case, she always needed to be ready to be called out—but she could have one glass and she guessed Castle could use something to help him unwind a little.
Castle returned just as she was getting the wine glasses out of the cabinet and she tipped one of the glasses towards him. "Want some wine—honey?" she added with teasing emphasis.
He had the grace to give a rather sheepish chuckle, although she noted that the strain didn't fully leave his expression. "I would love some wine, thanks."
She handed him a glass of wine and decided that asking him to tell her more about Meredith could wait.
He accepted the wine and sank down onto the couch with a sigh of relief and she joined him shortly afterwards, taking a sip of her wine before placing her glass on the table so she could tuck herself against his side.
He lifted his arm to curl around her shoulders, bending to press his lips against her hair, and gradually, she felt the tension leave his body.
He sipped his wine in silence for a few minutes but after a while, he began, "Sorry about the 'honey' thing. I wanted to make a point to Meredith because she―well, you've met her so you know what I mean."
"It's okay. I wouldn't say I like the term 'honey,' but I've been called worse," she quipped.
"If you don't like being called 'honey,' how about cupcake? Muffin? Ooh, I know, I could call you my little creampuff!" he suggested, apparently restored to his usual self.
She snorted and gave him a look. "Just try it, kitten."
He gave a histrionic wince. "Oh, ouch, low blow, Beckett. I was only kidding," he complained. "Can you please just forget you ever heard that godforsaken pet name?"
She snickered. "But it's such a cute nickname." She pretended to give him an assessing look. "And I think it suits you."
He pouted. "You're mean, Beckett."
She succumbed to her laughter and lifted herself enough to press a kiss to his jaw. "I'll make you a deal, you don't call me 'cupcake' or 'muffin' or your little creampuff and I won't call you 'kitten.'"
"It's a deal," he said immediately.
She smiled and gave him another quick kiss, on the lips this time, before settling back against his side and he gave her another mock pout over the brevity of the kiss. Silly, adorable man.
She retrieved her glass for another sip of her wine and then let her head rest against his shoulder, feeling her own tension, both from the long week she'd had and the, um, meeting with Meredith, start to seep out of her. Of course, the thought, the reminder, of Meredith wasn't exactly relaxing.
It seemed so… cliché and a little petty, for the girlfriend and the ex-wife to be at loggerheads but really, it was less about any sense of rivalry over Castle—no matter what Meredith might try to insinuate―than about Alexis and Meredith's cavalier treatment of her own daughter. Kate didn't know enough of what Meredith's relationship with Castle had been like to judge but Kate did know that Meredith hurt Alexis's feelings, over and over again. And that was quite enough to ensure that Kate was never going to like Meredith.
As if Castle sensed the direction her thoughts had taken, he broke the silence to say, "I'm sorry about Meredith, about the way she―" He broke off and then rephrased it, "Sorry about, well, everything. I didn't know she was coming; I would have mentioned it if I had. Meredith just showed up out of the blue a couple of hours ago when Alexis and I were in the middle of dinner."
"She was here for dinner?" Why that niggled at her, she didn't know. It was stupid, ridiculous, to feel such a twist in her chest at the thought, the mental image, of Meredith sitting at the dining table with Castle and Alexis. In her chair, the chair Kate always sat in for meals here. Oh. That was it. It seemed so… silly, to feel so possessive over a piece of furniture-except it wasn't the chair, not really. That chair was where she'd sat for so many meals with Castle and Alexis over the last six months or so, since long before she and Castle had started dating, meals in which they'd… started to become a family. That was what it was; she was possessive over her place in this family.
"No. Well, sort of," he amended. "We were still eating when she showed up and she said she hadn't eaten anything on the plane so I had to give her some food. So yeah, I suppose, you could say she was here for dinner." He paused and then blurted out, as an aside, "Ironic, really, since I think I can count on my two hands the number of times she was home for dinner with me and Alexis when we were married."
Kate tried not to stiffen. It was the first time Castle had really mentioned anything about what his marriage had been like and from what he said, it wouldn't have been the picture of domesticity. She tamped down the urge to question Castle further about his marriage; she didn't want to interrogate him, not tonight.
But she did want to ask— "does she usually stay here when she's visiting?"
She felt him stiffen a little and then take a gulp of his wine as if to buy time before answering.
"Ah… she has sometimes," he answered carefully. "The first time, it was because she showed up unannounced late at night and it was raining and, well, I let her stay. Since then, she… tends to assume and, you might have noticed, she's not exactly good at taking no for an answer."
"Mm," she made a noncommittal sound. Was she being unfair and paranoid to suspect Meredith of acting deliberately? Meredith didn't exactly come off as some mastermind but on the other hand, Castle had once loved her (right?) and as Kate well knew, Castle wasn't a man who liked stupid women so Meredith had to be smart enough in her own way. Besides, Kate had seen enough of the world to realize that it didn't take a lot of intelligence for attractive women to learn how to use their looks to their advantage, to manipulate men (made easier by the way so many men turned into idiots when attractive women were around).
"I wasn't going to let her stay here now," he blurted out with odd emphasis.
"I know," she answered easily. That much, at least, she did know. Castle had already called the Plaza Hotel to arrange for Meredith's room before she'd arrived—and when he hadn't known Kate was coming over. Besides, she trusted him.
It was Meredith she didn't trust. But whatever Kate's sentiments Meredith-ward, what really mattered was Alexis.
"Alexis must have been happy to see her mom, though," Kate ventured.
She felt Castle's glance but kept her eyes on her glass of wine. Alexis's happiness was the important thing.
And anyway, it wasn't like she was trying to become Alexis's mom.
"Yes, she was," he answered but then sighed, taking a large gulp of his wine to finish off the glass. When he went on, his voice was quieter, sadder. "But I worry because I think that Alexis is… cautious about feeling happy to see Meredith. Her happiness is… diluted, if that's the word for it, like even though she's happy, she's still bracing herself for when Meredith will leave, the next time Meredith will break a promise."
Oh god. Kate caught her breath at the sudden spasm of pain clutching her heart. Not just at the thought of Alexis feeling like that but because the description sounded so familiar. Because that was how Kate felt too, still, always, even when she was happy. And it was just so unutterably wrong and so painful to think of Alexis feeling like that.
Alexis was so young, too young, to feel such a thing. And she was such a cheerful kid.
There was so much sadness and worry in Castle's voice that it hurt her to hear it.
"Alexis is fine," she assured him. "She's happy and confident and optimistic and she'll stay that way because she has you. Remember how happy she was just last weekend at the Hamptons? She was almost as excited to play in the pool as you were," she teased gently, wanting to make him smile. It was true too since Castle had been characteristically exuberant, taking the lead in making a show of falling into the pool and tugging Kate along with him and then splashing at Alexis to make her come join them.
His expression eased into a smile. "She did have fun last weekend but she's always happy to spend time with you."
"Spending time with Alexis makes me happy too but you're her dad. You're the one who's raised her to be what she is and you're the one who'll make sure that Alexis is fine, even after Meredith's visit this weekend."
He sighed a little. "I know. I just… hate whenever Alexis is hurt and having Meredith around is stressful."
Having met the woman, that wasn't surprising but she could see that Castle was brooding and while she understood (and empathized with) his worry over Alexis, Alexis was fine now and there was nothing he could really do. So she set out to distract him, pressing herself more tightly against him and leaning up to feather her lips against his chin and along his jaw until she husked into his ear, "I could help you relax," and nipped lightly at his earlobe to make her point clear, just in case he needed it.
She felt rather than heard his sharp intake of breath before he turned to look at her, his eyes already darkening with arousal. "What did you have in mind?" he asked, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"We could have more wine, watch a movie, or…" she trailed off, letting her fingers ruffle the hair at the nape of his neck in a way she knew he liked.
He huffed a soft laugh that was swallowed by her mouth as they finally kissed, hot and deep. His searching hands found the hem of her shirt, tugging it out of her slacks, so his fingers could find bare skin and she gasped into his mouth.
"Castle," she managed to pant when his lips left hers to skim along her jaw. "Bedroom."
"Yeah," he groaned and obeyed, scrambling to his feet and pulling her up with him so they could stumble towards his bedroom, their lips and hands still occupied, even though their mutual distraction slowed their progress towards his bedroom.
But they made it eventually, falling onto his bed, forgetful of any worries or any thoughts of anything at all that didn't involve the two of them, just him and her, together.
~To be continued…~
A/N 2: Writing Meredith is hard, not least because I hate her, but I will leave it to you all to judge how she came out. Thank you, as always, to all readers and reviewers.