Alexis Rodgers

Chapter 22

Kate hadn't bought Castle a Christmas present. She'd bought one for Alexis which she had in her arms while Alexis was carrying two presents. That meant Kate had to knock and wait.

However, it wasn't Rick or even Martha that answered the door. It was Sam. "Hi, Samantha," Kate smiled.

"Beckett, Alexis. Sorry, Rick always calls you Beckett so while I'm good with names no one uses your first name," Sam apologized.

"It's Kate and that's okay, I don't mind. I call Castle by his last name all the time even if I know his name is Rick." Kate really didn't mind.

"Well, come in. The tree is that way," Sam gestured toward it, not that it was hard to miss.

"Dad's been busy. Just a couple weeks ago this place was empty." Alexis was impressed.

"At least I know where you get it from." Kate was just as impressed.

"Dad taught me everything I know about Christmas," Alexis admitted and added her presents to the tree followed by Kate.

Alexis and Kate followed Sam to the kitchen. "Eggnog?" Sam offered up a pitcher of the stuff. "It has alcohol in it," she whispered. She'd noticed since one drink had gone straight to her head. Then she'd chewed out Rick since he knew she didn't drink. Save for wine which in her mind wasn't alcohol.

"I'll take one." Kate moved a glass closer for Sam to pour.

"I'll pass." Alexis wasn't interested in hard alcohol. She barely even drank wine.

"So where's Martha?" Kate didn't see her. Martha was different than Castle. Kate actually liked her.

"Martha has a Christmas Day play and this morning is rehearsal time so she's going to be really late," Sam told them.

"Where's Dad?" He was missing too as far as Alexis could tell.

"In his study writing. He said something about a moment of inspiration, that he didn't want to lose it," Sam answered. "I'll take one of those, please." Sam watched Alexis help herself to the refrigerator and took out a can of Coke.

Now with glasses filled with ice and Coke and one glass of eggnog, they moved to the living room.

"So Dad hasn't scared you away yet," Alexis teased her dad and at the same time let Sam know what her dad was capable of doing.

"No, Rick's nice. Even if he did try to buy me a new apartment. Oh, and the teasing I got at school for all the supplies he bought."

"That sounds like Dad," Alexis said to Sam. "He doesn't see his money as a bribe or that he's trying to buy someone. He honestly thinks that if his money can help, then he helps. He's got it in his head that it's one thing when it could be seen as another but he doesn't see that."

"I know. I got him to talk to me. Did you know that for all his intelligence he's a terrible talker. He just up and does things spontaneously and expects you to understand what he's thinking. Very annoying," Sam mentioned.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it."

"That's right. Rick did tell me that you two had an argument. Almost came to blows even. Not that Rick said he would ever hurt you. Just that it was intense." Sam really had gotten Rick to talk.

"Yeah, I think I threatened to shoot him more than once. I see Castle in Alexis on occasion. Thankfully she hasn't adopted any of his ways. Except when it comes to Christmas." Kate glared at Alexis.

"Ignore her. She's still annoyed that I got her to write a letter to Santa. Something she hasn't done since she was three." Alexis glared right back at her.

"Rick got me to do the same. It felt a little silly," Sam admitted. "I got my entire class to write letters and of course had to write my own during the class, but I didn't mail mine while I did mail the others."

"Tell her what Santa brought you." Alexis looked at Kate. They both had items in their stockings this morning.

Kate moaned. "A spa treatment." Actually Kate was dying to put it to use. It wasn't just any spa treatment either. It was the entire package and was going to take hours to complete. Manicure, pedicure, massage, stones, the works! She was going to come out a new woman after they were done with her.

"Somehow Kate thinks I gave it to her instead of Santa. My dad might be rich in some people's eyes but I'm not. All I have is my allowance and it's not enough to buy that. I don't even have a job. …Yet." She would soon.

"That's right, police officer. Rick told me. Sounds…dangerous." Sam just didn't see Alexis as a police officer.

"It might be one day. Though with the proper training and some experience I'll be fine. The present I got you is under the tree over there." Alexis pointed since Kate still didn't believe her. "And I'm sorry I didn't get you one. Dad didn't tell me you were going to be here."

"You don't need to get me anything. Rick's already gotten me far more than I could have ever asked for. There was even something in a stocking that had my name on it that I didn't even know anything about," Sam added.

"Santa got Kate a day at the spa; what did Santa leave you?" Sam was betting it wasn't a lump of coal. Not after listening Rick go on and on about his daughter.

"Ben Wa Balls." Alexis smiled wide and watched Sam choke on her Coke. "I'm even wearing them now." Alexis squeezed yet again to keep the damn things inside her. So far keeping them in was the only struggle. Supposedly they were to stimulate her sexually but not so much.

"Santa didn't bring them," Kate whispered. Since she knew for a fact that she had put them in Alexis's stocking herself.

"He did so. They were in my stocking. Pesky little things too." Alexis squeezed again.

Sam felt her blush starting to go up her face. These two were clearly lovers and very comfortable with each other. Sam wasn't willing to say she was a prude but she was more traditional than these two. She knew full well there were other sex toys that could be used and she tried not to think about just what these two were doing in the privacy of their bedroom. Or other places.

Thankfully Rick came out and saw that Alexis and Beckett were there. That had him hugging Alexis before sitting down next to Sam. "Sorry. I had an idea show up in my head and I just had to write it down before I lost it. What did I miss?" Rick wanted to hear everything.

"Nothing Rick, nothing at all," Sam told him.

"Just what Santa left me for Christmas." Alexis was all smiles while Kate shook her head. Kate knew for a fact that she had put them in her stocking. But if it made Alexis happy then she could have her fantasy.

"What did Santa leave you, Beckett?" Rick inquired.

"A spa treatment at Mandarin Oriental." Kate hadn't yet looked up the cost and but assumed it couldn't be that much. Alexis stated she didn't have that kind of money.

"Mandarin Oriental. That is the Spa location in New York City. Two hours is about $700 while three hours is closer to a grand. I know because I was thinking about one for me one year and that was two hours at $960. You must have been very good this year, Beckett." Rick was impressed.

Kate glared at Alexis. She didn't want Alexis spending anywhere near that amount of money on her.

"I told you once already, your present is under the tree." Alexis gestured to the tree. "My allowance from Dad isn't that big."

"It's not. It really isn't and not because I didn't try. Alexis set her own limit and won't let me change it." Rick grumbled at his daughter. He had the money so he had wanted to use it to help her.

Kate relaxed a little since that did sound like Alexis to her. Still that Spa ticket didn't come from Santa since he didn't exist.

"When do we open presents?" Rick had one for everyone and that included Beckett.

"Right after dinner," Sam informed him.

"Dinner! That's…" Rick looked at his watch. "Hours from now. You know most people open them in the morning after Santa has come."

"We're starting a new tradition," Sam said. That left Rick opening and closing his mouth until he finally closed it.

"Where were you when I needed you," Kate asked Sam since she had found a way to shut Castle up. Kate ignored the look Rick gave her.

###V##][##V###

After dinner Rick was done waiting and didn't ask Sam if he could start so he began handing out the gifts from under the tree and handed Alexis her stocking that had what Santa had brought her inside it.

Sam noticed that hers wasn't even in a box. It was just an envelope even if it did look rather Christmas-like. "What's this?" Sam opened the paperwork and read it.

"It's a living room set. Sofa, loveseat, chair, coffee table, and a throw rug. You need a new living room set." Rick defended his purchase. "It's brown leather." He liked it and it hadn't cost him nearly as much as he was willing to spend.

"I let you get me a new bedroom set but I don't need a living room set." For Sam this was just way too much.

"Sam," he said patiently," your sofa has holes and your recliner doesn't even recline any longer. I can have them reupholstered and fixed instead, if you wish." He didn't understand her. He had the money so why wasn't she willing to let him help her?. Besides it was Christmas.

"We'll discuss this later." Sam put it back into her envelope. It was beautiful and he was right, her old sofa had scratches from a cat she used to have but was gone now and not replaced. She didn't know why the recliner had stopped working. It was just that her place was a little on the small side. This might be too much for it.

Alexis went next and was really curious since it was big, flat, and heavy.

Inside she found a vest that said POLICE on the front. "It's a flak vest." Alexis had seen one before and even worn one during her shooting class.

"The police department hands out vests, Castle," Kate chided.

"Not like this one, they don't. This one is state of the art and will stop nearly anything. If my little girl has her heart dead set on being a cop then she's going to get the very best vest ever made." If she was going to get shot Rick wanted her to survive it.

"Thanks, Dad." Alexis felt tears starting. This gift meant he was coming around to her choice of what she wanted to do with her life.

Rick had two so he started with the smallest of the two. "A race track?" Rick didn't get it.

"There's a guy who teaches people how to drive defensively. Meaning someone is shooting at you and even has an RPG and he teaches how to escape. I could only afford one class so if you want more you'll have to buy your own," Alexis explained.

Now it was Rick that felt tears. It was maybe the greatest present she had ever given him. Well maybe save for that handmade present when she was six, but that was different.

"Thanks, pumpkin." He was touched. "Are the cars bulletproof?" Now that would be so cool. Have live rounds being fired at him during the class. He was so buying the rest of the classes and finishing all of them.

Since Kate was next she opened hers. What she found was an envelope in a box so she opened that. She saw what it said but didn't understand.

"Alexis told me that you have this huge painting on one wall. So that told me you must like art so I bought you one. You just have to go down and pick it up with that paper and find a place to hang it. It's a local artist. No one that special." Rick hadn't spent that much money on her.

"Thanks, Castle." The one she had had almost cost her two weeks pay and she was going to take it with her everywhere. The picture even looked like one she would like.

That left Rick's present from Sam and Alexis's Santa gift.

Rick smiled when he saw an envelope inside his little box. He thought he must be rubbing off on Sam. "Coney Island?"

"I haven't been since I was a little girl and you seem to like places like that so I bought two tickets that even includes tickets to a live music show," Sam said anxiously.

"Rides, hot dogs, soda, and candy, and you. It's perfect." Rick leaned across and kissed her. He knew the tickets didn't cost that much, but that wasn't the point. She was willing to let him have some fun and relive a moment of her childhood with him. That meant the world to him.

"So what did Santa leave you, pumpkin?" It was all that was left.

That had Alexis picking up her stocking and shoving her hand inside to find it.

"What is this, Dad?" Alexis saw what looks like an old fashioned scroll case that she needed to open. Opening it and pulling out the papers inside, she read, "55 Island Point, Bronx, NY 10464."

"I haven't seen where you two are living but I can bet it has just one bedroom and a single bathroom. Being in the middle of Manhattan it must have cost Beckett a small fortune.

"This place is three bedrooms and four bathrooms on the ground floor with a view of the ocean. I put down a deposit on it and I can get my money back if you don't like it or decide that you can't afford it. The HOAs aren't really all that bad. It comes with a washer and dryer so no laundromats. It has dedicated parking space, a pool and weight room, and a small club house. Close to a marina, shopping, and restaurants.

"It's maybe a little white everywhere but you can fix that with some paint.

"All I'm asking is that you go look at it. If you don't like it I get my money back and no harm done. It is in the Bronx, if that's okay." That was maybe a sticking point. "It's new, you'll be the very first owners."

"So this is from you and not from Santa?" Alexis had a problem with that. Kate might have a problem with the space but they could talk about that.

"Yes and no. It's what Santa got for me because I asked him for one for you. So it's yours. I'm just…regifting." He knew how bad that sounded.

Alexis handed the paperwork and brochure to Kate for her to look at.

Kate saw a small white kitchen with stainless steel everything and black countertops. Wood floors and white walls and white ceiling. She also saw a gas fireplace. A closet door in the kitchen likely meant a pantry.

It looked like it actually had two floors and they were in one building that shared a wall with the people next door. There was also a balcony.

The shower was huge with double vanities. There were lots of windows and unless she was mistaken, it was a reverse floor plan. Meaning most of the bedrooms and most of the bathrooms were on the ground floor while the living, dining, kitchen, and master bedroom were upstairs.

They might actually have a view of the water and the marina, but it was hard to tell. The complex had thirty-two separate buildings with two units per building. The HOA was $629 a month which to her was steep. Property taxes at $632 a month and home insurance at $279 dollars a month.

It was far too expensive for her. However, after Alexis had a job as a police officer they might be able to make it work. It was clearly gated and fenced so there was some security.

It was the HOA that hurt the most. Kate was paying something similar now save for that. Plus power, water, garbage, and sewer. She was actually spending even more now. Buying groceries each week was an added cost. Though they were splitting weeks between them. So far Kate wasn't asking anything more from Alexis. She didn't have a job, after all.

At $798,000 purchase price it was actually on par with what she'd paid for where they were staying now. So if she sold it they actually might be able to afford it and not have a mortgage to pay like she didn't now.

"I guess we can talk about it." Kate looked at Alexis. She hadn't even considered moving. The Bronx could be bad but where this was didn't look so bad.

"Great! I'll get the wine and we can celebrate that everyone is happy." Rick got up.

Sam hadn't outright rejected what he had done and Alexis and Kate were at least going to think about it. He had already paid as part of the deposit all of the closing costs so they shouldn't have to pay a dime to move. He would even hire the movers for them.

###V##][##V###

Sam was still there when Kate and Alexis left with their Christmas presents.

"What do you think? I know Dad likes to overdo things and maybe plan things for people but he means well. It did look nice." Better than where they were now.

"Money wise if I can sell my place for what I paid for it, it'll be just about a wash. Save for the HOA fee, everything else is just about what I'm paying now. I can afford that because I don't have a mortgage and wouldn't have with this place either. Though being a Captain has increased my pay." She had liked that. It made everything that much easier to afford.

"What does a police officer make?" Alexis hadn't actually gotten around to looking that up yet.

"Anywhere from 45k to 93k. Since you'll be a rookie you will be on the lower end of that scale." Kate knew that much from when she was a rookie.

"So I can start paying some of the bills then. Like gas, water, and garbage. That will be good. ...Do we go look at it? Dad said we could say no and he won't lose any money and since he promised not to lie…" Alexis waited for her to say something.

"It means selling my place, packing, and moving. New drivers licenses with the new address. Tell the post office the new address. Notify 1PP of the address change and countless other things." Moving could be a pain. The question was, was it worth it?

"So we're going to go look at it?" Alexis questioned. That part didn't cost either of them a dime. Except maybe the gas to drive there in Kate's broken down, smelly cruiser.