Author's Note: Hey guys! Thank you so much for the continuous support on this fanfic! Just a heads up there will be 26 chapters in total.

Also, I've received a few reviews regarding confirmation on Alexis' age. Before the time jump Alexis was 4, going on 5. In present day fanfic, she is now 11 years old. For those wondering, in 'Castle' Rick is supposedly 10 years older than Beckett, but greysloverx and I decided that an age gap that significant wasn't suitable for this fanfic, so instead we made it that he is only 6 years older than her.

Summary: Kate is 25 years old, Rick is 31 years old and Alexis is 11 years old.

Chapter 15

A Week Later

Kate had promised Alexis a movie night at her apartment, which the girl refused to let her forget about. They finally agreed on an evening they were both free so they could lounge around, eat junk food, and watch a cheesy comedy.

Kate was grateful to finally get to spend some one-on-one time with Alexis. They hadn't got the opportunity to truly catch up the last day, so they chatted for over an hour before settling and pressing play on the movie.

They were curled up on the couch, almost an hour into their movie. One large bowl of popcorn had already been devoured as well as some candy Kate had picked up from the store on the way home.

"Do you want some more popcorn?" Kate offered after noticing Alexis picking at the remaining kernels.

"Yes please!" she said graciously.

Alexis paused the movie and Kate hopped up to put a new packet of popcorn in the microwave. She set the timer and watched the packet spin around for thirty seconds before it stopped suddenly. The light in the appliance turned out, and the hum of the machine quieted. The lights in the ceiling flickered for a moment before leaving them in complete darkness.

"Kate?" Alexis said worryingly from the sofa.

"The power went out," Kate said. "Stay where you are so you don't hurt yourself. I'm going to look for some candles."

"Should I call dad?" Alexis suggested. "We could continue our movie night at home."

"Good call!" Kate grabbed a torch from underneath her kitchen sink and looked around the apartment for some matches. Lucky for her, she was a fan of Yankee Candles and had them located all over her apartment.

The living room was lit up by numerous dancing flames. If it weren't for the high risk of fire, Kate considered doing this more often. Her and Alexis gathered their movie night essentials and shoved them in a bag, leaving the half-popped bag of popcorn in the microwave.

Rick showed up fifteen minutes later with nothing other than a torch in his hand. The elevator wasn't running so the night manager had given him one to help navigate up the stairs safely.

"Hey, thanks for coming," Kate said. "The power went, and the landlord said it will probably be tomorrow by the time it's back."

"Not a problem," he assured, switching his torch off. "Would you mind if I used your bathroom before we go?"

"Not at all. My room is the second door on the right."

Kate and Alexis began blowing out the candles one by one while Rick excused himself to the bathroom. On his way back, he couldn't help but notice the teddy bear sitting on the pillow of Kate's bed. It was the one he had gave her for Christmas when they first met.

Rick came out holding the bear which instantly caught Kate's attention.

"I wasn't snooping around, I swear," he said, smiling guiltily at her. "You kept Buddy."

"Of course I kept him," she said, glad the room was dark because she could feel her cheeks begin to redden.

"I remember telling you that he would be there for you and keep you safe when I couldn't."

The few candles that Alexis hadn't extinguished yet gave them just enough light to be able to get lost in each other's eyes. She had kept that bear as a reminder of Rick, thinking she would never see him again. Now she was keeping that bear thinking she'll never hold him again.

"He's served his purpose."

"Can we go now?" Alexis interrupted after extinguishing the last flame.

Rick took the bag of essentials from his daughter and directed her out of the apartment. Kate grabbed her things and followed behind, earning a subtle placement of Rick's hand on her lower back.

The three arrived at the loft and cosied up on the couch, continuing the movie from where the girls had stopped. Rick didn't mind, he and Alexis had watched it dozens of times before, yet she had insisted they watch it again.

Alexis had fallen asleep not even thirty minutes after they had settled in again. She had dressed into her favourite pyjamas and fallen asleep between Rick and Kate.

"She's out like a light," Kate whispered.

"I'll take her up to bed," he said gently lifting Alexis into his arms.

She watched him disappear upstairs. A wave of nervousness hit her when she realised they were going to be alone. She quickly adjusted her posture and shook her hair to one side, gathering it in her hands. With her legs tucked beneath her, she leaned to one side of the sofa hoping to keep some distance.

"We don't have to keep watching this if you're bored," Rick chuckled before he sat back down.

"No, it's fine." She fixated her eyes back on the screen trying to ignore the awkward silence that had settled. "So… how are the wedding plans going? Have you guys set a date yet?"

"Actually we haven't," he replied. "Gina wants to have a spring wedding."

"That would be nice," she said trying to seem interested. Then for some unknown reason, she felt the urge to share her own preferences on the topic. "I'd love to get married in autumn." She closed her eyes and smiled at the thought. "Brown leaves, warm air… it would be perfect."

He watched her. Seeing her so lost in her thoughts just lured him to her. "You would make a beautiful bride."

Her eyes snapped open. She could see what was happening and it needed to stop quickly. "Well, I've no intention of getting married any time soon. I'm too focused on work right now."

"You say this now. Just wait until the right guy sweeps you off your feet."

"He already has," she mumbled, quiet enough so he could barely hear.

He didn't say anything. Instead he chose to divert his attention back to the movie that seemed to never end. They watched the remainder of the movie in silence. The living room lights had dimmed as they were on a set timer, causing Kate to feel sleepy. Her eyes began to droop and before she could do anything about it, she was asleep.

Asleep in Rick's embrace.

He had no idea how she had even got there but he wasn't complaining. With one arm wrapped loosely around her, he rested his head gently on hers. The smell of her cherry-scented shampoo tingled in his nostrils evoking a warm feeling inside. He couldn't help but play with the dark strands of hair that dangled around her shoulder.

A moment of panic set in when she began to move. He was prepared for another uncomfortable encounter, but instead she snuggled into him. Completely unaware of her actions, she nuzzled her face into his chest and exhaled. He too released a sigh of relief when he realised she hadn't woken. His eyes closed and he drifted into a deep sleep with Kate in his arms.

02:57am

Gina had just arrived back from her trip to California. Her meetings had ended a day earlier than anticipated, so she grabbed the earliest flight home to surprise Rick. The living room was as expected in darkness and she could hear his faint snores coming from the couch. Slipping out of her heels she sneaked over to him and ran her hands through his hair, surprising him with kisses on top of his head.

"Kate…," he mumbled following a slight moan, still not awake yet.

Gina stepped back unsure whether she had heard him correctly. She turned on the lights and was shocked to see another woman curled up in Rick's embrace.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed, alerting Rick causing his eyes to dart open. He glanced at Kate who was still asleep and smiled, then heard Gina clearing her throat behind him. "Please tell me I'm still on the plane and this is a nightmare."

Rick carefully removed his arm from around Kate not to wake her. "Gina, I can explain," he whispered. "We fell asleep while watching a movie with Alexis."

"What's going on?" asked a groggy voice from behind Rick. Kate was rubbing her eyes in an attempt to help them adjust to the bright lights.

"You're just witnessing what us adults call a lover's quarrel," Gina snapped.

Kate could practically see the smoke coming out of Gina's ears. If looks could kill, Kate would be a dead woman.

"I should go." Kate quickly slipped on her shoes and grabbed her bag.

"Kate, it's the middle of the night. Let me call you a cab," Rick offered.

"Anything else you'd like to do for her?" Gina chimed in with her arms crossed.

"I can call my own cab," Kate insisted. She wanted to get out of this situation as fast as she could. She nodded in their direction then left them to talk in the loft.

Rick took a few moments to gather his thoughts before this turned into a shouting match. A loud argument wouldn't solve their problem, and neither would waking Alexis.

"Gina, nothing happened," he said taking a step closer to her. "I would never cheat on you, or anyone for that matter!"

"Under normal circumstances I'd believe you. But Rick, you're in love with that woman!"

Rick laughed uncomfortably. "No, I'm not. Yes, we have a brief history but it's in the past."

"The face you made when you saw her next to you wasn't exactly the expression of someone who has moved on," Gina pointed out.

She was right. The feeling he felt when he remembered she was beside him was indescribable. If the moment hadn't have been interrupted then who knows what would have happened when they woke together.

"I was in love with her," he admitted, "but not anymore. I love you, Gina. Nobody else."

"So you'd be okay if she walked out of your life again?" she asked already knowing the answer.

He was about to respond, then gave up. He was only hurting her more by lying to her, by giving her false hope. He did love Gina once, but Kate had always held a more special place in his heart.

She watched him concede and sighed. "Rick, I'm not going to marry you when you're clearly in love with someone else." She slipped off the ten carat diamond ring from her finger and handed it to him. "The engagement is off. If you decide she's not the one and still want this later, let me know. I'm going to stay in a hotel tonight."

She stepped back into her shoes and made her way to the door.

"I never meant to hurt you," Rick declared.

She leaned against the door and looked at him. "Can you do me one favour? Just tell me you love her and that I'm not crazy. You at least owe me that."

He chose silence as his answer for a second time that night. He was afraid if he told her how he really felt about Kate that it would break her even more.

"I don't know which is worse," Gina started, "you not admitting you love her, or me figuring it out before you." She left him standing foolishly alone in the living room.

All he had wanted was for Kate to be comfortable around him and his family again without things being awkward. Instead, his reckless actions had left him fiancée-less and Kate-less in the same night. He was furious at no one but himself, wondering how he could have been so blind.

He turned out the lights again and made his way into his office where he planned to drown his sorrows in whatever brand of whiskey he could find.