My Grandmother was a Witch
Chapter 23
Kate had been to the doctor and had a new report to share with Castle. Roy, since it was after her birthday, had given her two days off after closing the case of the dead psychic. She had already dismissed what the psychic's daughter had told her about someone named Alexander being important in her life. Right now the most important person in her life was Rick, not Alexander.
She was also having a hard time sitting still as the car drove up and finally stopped just out front of the house in the Hamptons. She had even watched Rick come out the front door.
Yes, she'd called him that very night after his remote proposal using her dad. She didn't know how he had gotten her dad and half the precinct and Lanie in on his proposal but he had.
She'd found out all her presents were from people in the precinct, all of whom had attended her proposal. They'd been told it was voluntary and that they were to limit the cost of the present to $20. Most of them had met that requirement.
Kate opened the door the second the car stopped and jumped out into Castle's arms after dropping her bag. She kissed him with as much passion as she could put into one kiss.
Rick smoothed her hair away from her face. He smiled at her. "I was told you said yes." Even during her phone call after the proposal she hadn't actually said yes.
Kate's smile was wide. She had jumped into this with both feet and had prayed Castle would be there to catch her. Now he had done far more than just catch her.
"I did, Mr. Fiancé." Kate smiled even wider. "I still don't know how you did that."
Rick grinned. "I have my ways. I managed to get a cow on a roof that took a crane to get it off so this was nothing."
"You put a cow on a roof?" Her fiancé was nuts. But she loved him. "I have two days off ahead of schedule. It was Captain Montgomery's birthday present to me. So what should we do with my two days?" Kate knew what she wanted to do.
"I have a new movie I ordered so we could watch TV," Rick suggested.
"We could do that." Except Kate shook her head.
"I have four more chapters done," Rick told her.
"Good, let's go. I want to read." Kate picked up her bag and pulled Castle along behind her. "When I'm done you can make love to me."
Kate threw her bag on the bed and went downstairs to find him and his laptop.
"Laptop and a Popsicle for the pregnant lady." Rick handed over both.
"Thanks, babe." Kate removed the wrapper on her Popsicle and stuck frozen goodness in her mouth. She opened the laptop and went in search of his new chapters. She watched him set a little green plastic trash can on the floor next to her. She waved him away because she wanted to read.
Naturally she read it all and then went back and began adding Post-it Notes to what he'd written. Her Popsicle was long since gone when she suddenly put the laptop to one side and threw up into his little green trash can. "I am so ready to be done with morning sickness," Kate told herself. She sighed, cleaned out her trash can, and went in search of Castle. Looking out the French doors she saw him sitting in one of the two chairs. So up to the bedroom she went, put on her bikini, and grabbed a towel and a bottle of sunscreen.
"Are you out here all alone?" Kate asked him and leaned down to kiss him and then sat in her chair after putting down her towel.
"Well my fiancée was checking my work. So what do you think?" he asked her. "Just a few chapters left to go."
"I love it, babe. Oh and I left you a few more Post-it Notes."
"Naturally. Still have morning sickness?" Rick was thinking it should be over by now.
"Just once so far today. I'll be happy when it finally stops. I'm 4 months plus pregnant so why hasn't it stopped?" Kate got to work applying sunscreen to what she could reach and relished sitting in the morning sun out here. "It's not warm enough to go swimming in the ocean any longer, is it?" Kate asked him with her eyes closed.
Rick shook his head. "Nope, not even close. I spent the summer writing, worrying about you, and planning my proposal. I should be done with my book really soon. I'm actually a little behind now. Thankfully I don't have Gina breathing down my neck. And I've been asked out to LA for the Nikki Heat movie. If it actually starts filming."
"IF it starts filming? Why would it not start filming?" Kate cracked open an eye and looked at him.
"Natalie Rhodes got the part to be you. Well, Nikki. She has a history of going into rehab for drugs. So maybe, maybe not," Rick shrugged.
"Great. So I'm a drug addict now." Kate didn't like the sound of that.
"It's LA. Why do you think I moved to New York City?" Rick asked her.
"Maybe." Kate closed her eye and basked in the sun.
"So fiancée of mine, where do you want to get married? I know you said you don't want to look pregnant walking down the aisle so that presents a problem."
"Problem?" Kate didn't see a problem.
"Venue timing. All the really good places will already be booked for up to a year from now if not longer. Unless you want to go to Vegas and get married." Rick wouldn't object to that.
"NO!" Kate yelled. She was definitely not getting married in Vegas. In fact she didn't ever want to set foot in that city again. "Not Vegas."
This time it was Rick who cracked open an eye and looked at her. He sensed a story in there somewhere but he would question her later.
"So inside or outside? If it's outside it's pretty close to being too late," Rick said. It was late November after all.
"Where's Alexis?" She needed to talk to her.
"At the loft at the moment. She'll be out later. Right after lunch, she said. She talked me into letting her stay longer. Even Mother's done with her play so she'll be coming with her. We're going to have a full house," Rick told her.
"She's coming out today? Here?" Kate opened both eyes and looked at him. "Up, babe." Kate jumped up, took his hands, and pulled till he was standing.
Rick didn't get it. "Where are we going?"
"We have maybe 3 hours for you to make love to me. Let's go." Kate tugged him all the way inside and upstairs to the bedroom.
_/\_
Alexis was actually anxious about seeing her dad again. He had let her go and let her stay even longer and hadn't really put up much of a fight. Actually most of her conversations with her dad were just a bit off somehow.
On the ride out to the Hamptons her grandmother said she was sure that he was fine. He was just being himself. His normal mysterious self. Alexis hadn't bought it but what else could she do?
As their car drove up they could both see Richard but there was someone standing just outside the door. It was clearly a woman and she didn't look like Gina.
"Dad!" Alexis hugged him and got hugged back, showing her that he had missed her almost as much as she'd missed him. Then his attention was taken by her grandmother.
Martha was hugging him and that had Alexis slowly walking for the door. Now she recognized who it was. "Detective Beckett."
"Hi, Alexis." Kate hadn't been this nervous in a long time.
"Katherine?" Martha made it past Alexis who had stopped so she could hug the young woman. "We weren't expecting you." It was a bit of a shock.
Meanwhile Rick was gathering up luggage to carry inside.
Kate watched both of them go inside as she waited for Rick and the luggage. She was last and she closed and locked the door.
Kate was after Alexis. She could talk to Martha after. If she had an after.
It looked like Rick and Martha were in a different room and Alexis was in hers taking off her coat. That was the sudden difference that was today. Rick and even New York City to a minor extent had been enjoying an Indian Summer. It was warmer than usual. Unfortunately that had vanished in just hours. Three hours ago it was bikini time. Now? Not a chance.
Kate got up on her bed as Alexis watched her. "Can we talk, Alexis?" Kate patted the bed in front of her. She watched her sit on her own bed cross-legged.
Alexis wasn't sure what was coming. "What do you want, Detective?"
"It's a long story, so interrupt when you feel like it." Kate took a deep breath. "When I was just 17 years old I lost my virginity to my boyfriend. It was painful and humiliating. He climaxed inside me without a condom and then he laughed at me. I didn't date again for just about a year.
"Then Mom was killed. Not long after that Dad became a drunk. He's clean now but it was ugly for a while."
"Why are you telling me this?" Alexis didn't think she had a need to know any of it.
"I'm getting there. Just let me finish, please," Kate asked her.
"Richard?" Martha was being pulled away from the doorway to Alexis's bedroom. It looked like Katherine and Alexis were talking and she wanted to know about what.
"Eventually I met someone. We dated for about 6 months. He worked for the FBI. He told me he loved me and then one day he asked me to move to Boston with him. He had accepted a transfer to Boston that very day and expected me to just drop everything, pack, and follow him to Boston."
"Nice guy." Alexis commented, meaning the exact opposite.
"Because of all this and a little bit of others I began building walls to protect my heart. People were hurting me. People I thought I knew loved me. Then along came your father.
"I was doing my best to keep him out. Pushed him away. Got him to go away. He or anyone else was going to hurt me.
"One way I found was to date someone else. Maybe Castle would get the message and go away." Kate paused for a moment.
"Demming. Dad told me. He was hurt. He didn't say it but I could see it. I just assumed you didn't like Dad and liked him instead. Are you telling me you didn't?" Alexis asked her.
"Demming was nice. But we had a case. You see over the last year I was beginning to really like your father. Except he scared me. He was making it past all my walls and I couldn't have that. Just as that case was wrapping up Captain Montgomery said something. It was just a simple observation but it told me something.
"So yes, Castle had asked me to come to the Hamptons with him more than once and I'd said no. Then I decided to say yes and dump Demming. I spent an entire week out here. Just Castle and me for an entire week."
"Really!" Alexis perked up. Now she really wanted to hear more.
"Over that week I came to like him a lot more. Every time I got two days off I came out here. All summer long including today and tomorrow. Then it was back to the city. It was over this time that I learned to love him and could admit it to myself and others," Kate kept explaining.
"You love Dad?" Alexis was up and on her knees and willed Kate to repeat that.
"I love him a lot, Alexis. More than my broken heart thought was possible." Then Kate lifted her left hand to show her the ring that was on that finger. She had two others that she always wore but they didn't mean as much as this one.
"DAD PROPOSED?" Alexis didn't wait for an answer and hugged Kate. She was actually going to have a real stepmother. She didn't count Gina as much of a stepmother. Hopefully Kate would be different.
Alexis let go of her. "You said yes." She got back down on her knees.
"Would you believe Castle did this incredible proposal? I'd sent him back to the Hamptons so he could go back to writing his book. He had apparently anticipated this. He recorded his proposal and did it in front of almost everyone from work. He got my dad to get down on one knee to show me the ring. This ring." Kate showed it to her again.
"I couldn't believe it. My mom and dad hated every single boyfriend I ever showed him to. With reason actually. But he talked my dad into helping him propose. MY DAD!" Kate still couldn't believe that.
"That sounds like Dad alright. You're lucky he hadn't figured out how to make half the city see the proposal or have him tell half the city after the fact. That would be Dad.
"So you're going to marry Dad?" Alexis was more than happy.
"Are you okay with this?" Kate asked a bit nervously. "I know you and Rick come as a package."
"Of course I'm okay with this." Alexis was up to hug Kate yet again. Alexis let go of her. "So when's the wedding? I'll help you plan it if you want help."
"Pretty soon actually and I need help. I don't want to walk down the aisle while looking like I'm pregnant." Kate waited to see if Alexis got it.
Alexis was taken aback for a moment. Then her eyes opened wide. "YOU'RE PREGNANT?" Alexis leapt at her and hugged her fiercely. Kate – and she was now willing to call her Kate – wasn't just about to be her stepmother but was going to give her a brother or a sister.
"I'll babysit. I promise. So how far along are you?" Alexis asked her.
"Almost five months," Kate replied.
Alexis looked like she was thinking. "That's almost all summer." Alexis kept thinking and then her eyes opened wide again. "You got pregnant that first week." Alexis had worked it out. "Boy or girl?" She was far enough along to know.
"Your father's been stuck out here writing so I don't know. I wanted him to be there when I found out so I've been waiting. Till he's finished writing I'm still waiting." Kate yet again found herself being hugged. Apparently Alexis was taking this pretty well.
"You're pregnant." Alexis let go of her again. "I'll bet Dad's over the moon."
"That's one way of looking at it." Kate finally smiled. She was relieved that Alexis was taking all this so well.
"So you need to get married really fast if you don't want to be showing too much." Alexis thought for a bit. "That leaves out a lot of the normal venues. They won't have an opening for months or longer. It's cool outside but if we do it just after lunch it will be as warm as it's going to get." Alexis was still thinking.
"What are you thinking?" Kate wasn't following.
"Get married here. Right out back on the grass. We just need chairs for the guests that can get here fast enough. A minister to marry you. Marriage license, flowers, music somehow. You need a dress, wedding invitations, guest register. It can't be raining of course.
"We need to get busy. I'll get Dad's credit card and we can start making phone calls." Alexis was still thinking and planning. "You're going to marry Dad!" Alexis hugged her again.
Kate suddenly didn't know why she was so worried and hugging Alexis felt pretty good too. Maybe it was because she was so happy and she didn't understand why. It had happened so fast and she'd been gone for all of it.
_/\_
"DAD!" Alexis raced across the floor once she was downstairs and slammed into him. "I approve, Dad."
Rick didn't get it but he was glad Alexis was happy.
"Credit card! Now, Dad!" Alexis let go of him, held out her hand, and watched him take out his wallet.
"What am I buying this time?" Rick inquired since he was still clueless.
"Chairs, flowers, music, invitations. All kinds of things." Alexis took his wallet, dug out his credit card, and gave him back his wallet. "Thanks, Dad! Now I need my laptop and my phone." Alexis turned and ran to her bedroom where she had left Kate sitting on her bed.
"Alexis?" Martha tried to stop her so she could understand what was going on.
"Dad's going to marry Kate, Grams, and we don't have much time." Alexis raced up the stairs. They had a lot to do and needed to look at the weather forecast for the next 10 days.
"Richard?" Martha looked at her son for an explanation.
_/\_
"Chairs?" Alexis asked Kate.
"Fifty chairs in two days," Kate replied.
Alexis kept going down her list. "Photographer?"
"One week from today with video camera," Kate answered since they both had a list.
Alexis looked at what was next. "Okay, flowers?"
"Minimal but coming the day before the wedding date," Kate told her.
"Music?" Alexis asked.
Kate shook her head."Nothing yet."
"We'll keep working on that. Invitations?" Alexis queried.
"Very generic but they'll arrive here in two days. Hopefully that isn't too short a notice. It'll take another two days for them to get them," Kate mentioned.
"Can't be helped. We can get a guest book in town tomorrow." Alexis kept going down her list. "Wedding dress?"
"Dad has my mom's wedding dress. Hopefully it will fit well enough. MY DAD! I haven't even told him yet!" She had been so wrapped up in helping Alexis that she hadn't even thought about the most important person.
"Call him. I'm going to go get us something to drink. What do you want?" Alexis got up.
"Juice, please, or a Popsicle. You'll find them. It was for my morning sickness that I still have a little of even now," Kate told her.
"Just don't throw up while you say I do. That would be bad." Alexis stopped at the door. "Wedding cake!"
Kate slumped. "I have no idea."
"I'll ask Dad. Keep thinking about what else we need. Something blue, I think." Alexis rushed downstairs since they didn't have much time.
"Alexis?" Martha spotted her and met her at the refrigerator.
"Dad's marrying Kate, Grams. Isn't that great!" She opened the refrigerator and got a can of Diet Coke for her and in the freezer she found what was left of a bag of Popsicles so she grabbed one.
"Where's Dad? We need a wedding cake," Alexis told Martha.
"Right here." Rick stepped into the room and joined them. "You two are sure you're happy about this?" Those two meant the world to him. They needed to like Kate.
"Of course, Dad. Wedding cake." She pointed her Popsicle at him and jogged to the stairs to get back to Kate.
Martha looked at her son. "Third time's the charm?"
"Kate's different, Mother. Yes, she's pregnant and that's one reason why I'm marrying her." Rick defended himself. "But she wants to be married and she loves me, unlike Meredith."
"I know that, Richard. It just seems rather fast." Most people took months to get married.
"I've known her for two years, Mother," Rick said and waited for whatever she had to say next.
Martha had to admit he had her there. "A wedding cake? What about that new place? They could use the business. Every new place needs business."
That had Rick sitting at his laptop and using his phone to call the place.
_/\_
"Kate?" He was at his daughter's bedroom door and saw both of them on her bed with Alexis's laptop and papers all over the bed. It looked like a big mess to him.
"The wedding cake. She wants to talk to you about it." He handed his phone to her.
"Hello?" Kate couldn't think of a reason why the cake person would need her. It was just a standard wedding cake. It was all she needed.
"K-BECKS!" a female voice screamed at her.
Kate was taken aback for a moment. No one had called her that since, since…. "Madison?"