By Thursday evening, neither Alexis nor Shane knew just how excited the other one was for the hotel arrival. Part of the organization of the reception and rehearsal had included tonight, a separate spheres reception for the wedding guests so that they would all be there for the night before as a group. Through careful planning, it had been determined that Alexis would spend the first hour of their two hours in the reception room visiting and a text to Andrea from Shane would give the maid of honour the signal to get the bride upstairs to the suite so the fast of being without her love catching sight of her, and he would get the second hour with their families.
As it was helping her from completely losing her mind, Alexis decided it was more productive to babble on about the food with Andrea making the appropriate noises and responses. She didn't much care of Andrea was voicing her real opinions or murmuring along to keep Alexis from crawling on the ceiling.
'I know there's no sweet corn or mashed potatoes, that's not the greatest finger food but there should be bits of fried chicken and lots of fresh veggies and fruit and other deliciousness like that,' Alexis sighed.
'Yum.' Andrea all but hummed it as the elevator doors dinged and opened. She went to exit but sensed Alexis tense and freeze up beside her when she saw the woman on the other side of the doors. 'What is it?'
'Hello my baby girl!' Evil Meredith trilled the greeting to her only child and held out her arms. 'Happy wedding!'
'What are you doing here?' Alexis said it in disbelief, forcing herself to move forward mechanically into the waiting embrace of the woman who had birthed her into the world.
'What, miss my only daughter's wedding? Are you kidding me? Do you know what the press will do with it when they see how close we are?'
'Hi, I'm Andrea Brick, Alexis' maid of honour.' Hoping to break the obvious tension Andrea held out her hand to Evil Meredith, who in turned looked at her like she was a cockroach. Fortunately for Andrea and unbeknownst to Evil Meredith, Andrea had plenty of background training in this type of feminine warfare. 'We are on our way to a reception right now for the bride and groom.'
'Oh fabulous, I can meet the groom properly this time.'
Evil Meredith looped her arm through Alexis, guided her towards the reception room. 'Andrea, can you be a lamb and introduce us? No reason not to have a little bit of a dramatic entrance for your man.'
'He's not here for this,' Alexis interjected stiffly, then explained off of Evil Meredith's confused look, 'It's Jewish tradition, we can't see each other for three days before the wedding.'
'And we are going in together,' Andrea added, to which Alexis mouthed a grateful thank you to her maid of honour as they walked through the door together.
Evil Meredith, who must have skipped the word 'subtle' in her vocabulary lessons as a child, walked through the door and said at the top of her voice, 'Hello everyone! Look who's here!'
All eyes turned to them, and Alexis saw her father's face blanche white as her wedding dress when he saw his first ex-wife walk into the room as though she were the one the guests were waiting to see. Fortunately before she coudl panic herself, three of the children rushed up to Alexis and gave her huge bear hugs, effectively shunting Evil Meredith sideways.
'Alexis! It is almost your big day!' Tessi squeezed tightly, swaying a little back and forth. 'You are going to look so beautiful tomorrow!'
'You be so lindy!' Trini added with wide brown eyes. 'Like...like a an-shel!'
'Something like that,' Andrea chuckled as Rosie slipped her delicate hand into the nurse's capable one. 'You excited too, Rosie?'
'Yes, Andrea, I am so very excited because I like to dance, just like prima Trini. I know she is going to dance the whole night with RJ.'
'I bet she will too. Alexis why don't we go and get some snacks.'
'Is there anything low fat or low-cal? Summertime red carpets, you understand,' Evil Meredith simpered and Alexis fought not to roll her eyes.
'There is fresh fruit and veggies, help yourself. Right now, I want to see my family.'
It was a subtle move, one that Andrea appreciated, but she kept her thoughts to herself as she saw Castle, Beckett and RJ approach with Beckett holding a dolled-up Jojo in her arms.
'Alessis! You here! Where Shane?' RJ asked as she scooped him up for a hug and set him back on his feet after giving him a kiss.
'He'll be here later, RJ.'
'Okay. Hi-hi, I Ah-Shay, who you?' he asked Evil Meredith politely, holding out his hand.
Evil Meredith looked at him like he'd offered her a dead rat. 'I'm Alexis' mommy.'
'Nuh-uh, this our mumum,' RJ corrected her, patting Beckett's hip. 'Her name Katie an' she the bes'. An' that our sisser Sho-sho, she way 'mall.'
'I see that. May I hold her?' Evil Meredith asked, hoping to ingratiate herself a little more. 'It's been so long since I've been around a little one.'
'Sure,' Castle said at length, knowing that to say no would cause a scene and he would let nothing upset Alexis tonight. 'Just be careful she hasn't been feeling so hot lately, the heat is really bothering her tummy.'
'Richard, I did have a child of my own, you know,' Evil Meredith returned bitterly, then smiled her trademark viper smile at Jojo. 'Yes, I'm your half-sister's mommy, aren't I, you adorable little-'
But she never finished her thought, as Jojo, who'd been studying the woman with curious eyes, suddenly coughed and out spewed her entire dinner like a shot from the world's most disgusting machine gun. Evil Meredith let out a gasp and held the whimpering Jojo out to Beckett, then fluttered her hands at herself.
'Don't you know how to control your child?' she hissed at Beckett. 'This is Dino Frangelli! It costs more than you make in a month!'
'Come on, we'll get you tidied up.' Alexis took her bio-mom's unsoiled wrist and ushered her towards the ladies' room. Once there, Alexis watched her mother dab at her expensive dress with a damp paper towel. 'Ugh, I cannot believe some people just let their children act like that in public.'
'She's seven months old, she doesn't even know where her elbows are,' Alexis replied defensively, and Evil Meredith let out a sharp laugh.
'This is why you weren't allowed to come to events. Everyone knows that children and social gatherings don't mix.'
'Why did you come here?'
'Excuse me?' Evil Meredith turned to her daughter who was propped against the wall of the lounge, looking at her with confusion in her blue eyes. 'It's your wedding, sweetheart, I'm not going to miss it for the world.'
'That's what you also said about my graduation from Cambridge and you skipped that to go shopping in Paris.'
'All the summer lines were out, was I just supposed to miss that?'
Alexis raised her eyes to the ceiling, shook her head. 'And for the record, Kate is a great mother.'
'Please, she's just looking to get a few babies and dollars out of Rick. Which reminds me, have you signed your prenup with Shane?'
'No.'
'A first marriage, you always need to have a prenup.'
For some reason, whether it was that she'd had enough go wrong with planning her wedding or the fact that her bio-mom was trying to be a snobby socialite mother, or simply that she'd rediscovered her own backbone in the weeks subsequent to her Hamptons meltdown, Alexis launched herself off the wall and grabbed her mother's arm so they were face to face.
'Now you listen to me, Meredith,' she hissed in a lethal voice. 'Shane and I love each other, the only way we are going to be apart is if one of us is dead. We are making a life together and we will have children together, and after everything I've been through I certainly don't need you coming around and telling me what's best in my life.'
'Alexis, I'm your mother-'
'No, a mother is someone who is there for you through the tough times and the good times. The gold and the shit,' Alexis said, using the phrase she and Shane always told each other. 'And the only time you've been here for me was our engagement party when you tried to pick up Shane. You haven't even bothered to email or text, or tweet.'
'I've been busy having a career.'
She didn't pull on her hair but it was damn tempting. 'So? My almost-husband is a pathologist who works shift work, sometimes doubles and he manages to find the time to visit me at Princeton. Dad and Kate, RJ and Jojo, they are my family, and I've had enough of you thinking you've always got a right to butt in just because you gave birth to me. Either be consistent or fucking forget it. Now.' Alexis huffed out a short breath with definitive authority. 'This is my party and I want you to leave because nothing is going to bring me down tonight, least of all you.'
'Fine.' Evil Meredith snapped out the words, gestured to her dress. 'I have to change anyways after what that little puke did to my clothes.'
'See you later.'
Alexis waited until Evil Meredith was clear of the door, and counted to ten in her head before she walked out, going right over to her sister. 'Jojo, you are the best secret weapon a sister could want.'
