With exams done, Alexis debated her options. She had one final revision of a lab report for her science writing class left to do and most of her friends were finishing their exams later in the day. She could go back to her apartment and pack, get ready to spend the week of Christmas in an uneasy truce between herself, her father, Gran, Kate, and Pi, or she could go to Ryan's apartment, finish her lab report, make some brownies (she had been craving a brownie sundae all week), and annoy him if he happened home at some point during the day. She grinned, she loved having options.
She stopped by the mini-mart on campus to pick up some vanilla ice cream, a bag of flour, and some baking chocolate. Ryan had a remarkably well-stocked kitchen. Whether this was leftover from Jenny or if it was Ryan himself who did cooking and baking when he had the time was something she had not yet asked, but regardless of the answer, she was grateful for it.
Alexis let herself in, as she usually did, took off her shoes, and dropped her things on the counter. When she went to hang up her key though, she noticed there was one hanging from the hook already. She frowned at it briefly before going to investigate. It was 10am on a Thursday morning. As she got closer to his bedroom, she heard muffled snores, so she nudged the already ajar door slightly further open with her shoulder. Sure enough, there was a large mass bundled under at least three layers of blankets. With the window next to the bed wide open. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly as she left him snoring away. She would just have to make fun of him later for leaving the window open at the end of December.
She settled in back at the counter with her laptop open, lab report on one tab, brownie recipe on another and she got to work.
"Good morning, sunshine," Alexis greeted a while later as Ryan appeared rumpled, face red and hair ruffled from sleep, in the kitchen.
"Morning," he replied, making his way to fill and start his coffee pot.
"Why are you home today?" She asked, curious if he was sick or she could expect Esposito to barge in at any second, looking for him.
"Beckett gave us the day off. We've got a suspect in custody; he's signed a confession and now it's all paperwork. Which can wait until tomorrow," Ryan mumbled as he let his head fall into his hands while his elbows rested on the counter top. Then he frowned and lifted his head up again, sniffing in the direction of the oven. "Why does it smell like brownies?"
"I always want brownies after test taking," Alexis replied. "I got some ice cream to go with them in the freezer."
"Ah," he nodded as if this was completely reasonable and then filled a mug with fresh coffee. Alexis watched as he reached up into one of his higher cabinets to grab something and add a generous helping to the coffee.
"Bailey's?" She asked, sounding surprised as she read the label on the bottle.
" 'M Irish," he responded, shrugging as if that was an entire explanation. "You want one?"
"It's 11 o'clock in the morning! And I have to go to work in a couple hours!" She said, snickering as he took a large gulp despite the steam rising out of the mug.
"I'm sure swiping cards at the dining hall is significantly more fun if you're a little buzzed," he offered, already sounding more awake than he had been when he first walked in.
"Thanks, but I'm good," Alexis just laughed again as he added more Bailey's to replace the amount of coffee he'd already swallowed. After mixing the new addition in, he put the bottle back in its place.
He meandered out of the kitchen, mug in hand, and she heard the tv start up, some mid-day talk show, the volume turned down, and then the sound of channel-flipping. Alexis turned back to correcting her lab report's reference and graphic sections, content to work with the low hum of white noise from the tv in the background.
When the oven timer went off for the brownies, Ryan appeared back in the kitchen to take them out, letting Alexis stay at her laptop for a few more crucial minutes. He placed them on the stovetop, checked that they were done, and then turned off the oven. He refilled his mug with more coffee and Bailey's, then made his way back out to the tv.
After several more minutes, Alexis hit save on the document, closed her laptop, stretched, and leaned back on her stool. She grabbed a couple of bowls out of the cabinet, placed a still warm brownie in each, then topped both with a liberal portion of ice cream.
"Done?" Ryan asked as Alexis handed him a bowl, settling beside him on the couch with her own.
"It's as good as it's going to get, at this point," she sighed, dipping her spoon into the brownie sundae. "What are we watching?"
"The Grand Tour," Ryan replied, sighing contentedly with his extremely non-nutritious breakfast.
"It looks like it's just British guys racing cars around," Alexis said, squinting at the tv, as though that would make a difference in what she was interpreting.
"Pretty much that's what the show is," Ryan chuckled. "This is the Christmas special from last year, I think, so it's a kind of best-moments compilation."
"Huh, interesting," Alexis said, in a way that meant she wasn't actually interested. Until one of the guys ran his car into a river and the ensuing chaos had Alexis joining right in with Ryan's laughter.
"What are you're plans for Christmas?" Alexis asked as a commercial started up.
"It's Gwen's turn to host this year, so going to Staten Island for a few days," he replied. "What about you?"
"Well, it will be me, Dad, Gram, Kate, and Pi, so you know, a nice cozy little family gathering," Alexis sighed. "Want to swap?"
"No way," he snorted. "You really need to just talk it out with Castle though, all jokes aside. He wants you to be happy and this fight is only making you both even more miserable."
"Yeah, I know," Alexis sighed. "But it's only one year of my life. I can push through it. I don't want to just expect that I can always fall back on my dad. He and Kate are probably going to get married and have kids of their own. I don't want to be that lame older half-sister who never got her shit together and still relies on Daddy's money."
"You're not that kid. Trust me. And if any siblings do come along, take my word as the baby of my family, all they will ever do is look up to you," Ryan responded, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, spoon still in hand, and squeezing her into his chest. "You took a step, and it may have been a wrong one, but there will always be more significant steps to take."
Alexis huffed out a sigh and leaned into his shoulder. She knew he was right. She knew Kate was right, that all her dad wanted was for them to be best friends again. She let her hand holding the brownie bowl drop slightly to rest on her lap and felt Ryan's arm constrict around her.
"Hey!" she shouted, trying to squirm out from his grip as his spoon dove into her remaining unguarded brownie sundae.
"Delishush," he mumbled around his stolen mouthful. He gave her a goofy grin, ice cream dripping from one side of his mouth. He looked completely deranged and she cracked up laughing, relenting and switching out her last remaining bites of brownie for his empty bowl before returning to the kitchen to pack up her things.
"I am off to my last dining hall shift of the semester!" Alexis announced, stopping back in the living room before she left. "Please eat something healthy at some point today."
"No guarantees," Ryan just grinned at her over the back of the couch and waved her away.
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With all said and done, Alexis decided that her traditional family Christmas Eve could have been worse. In fact, they'd had much worse Christmas Eve's, most notably the ones that her mother happened to be in town for. Pi was allowed to stay in Alexis's room with her and, in return, Alexis formally forgave her father for being so unwilling to accept their decision to move in together. It was a step in the right direction. But still, it was hitting too close to home for Alexis to want to come straight out and tell him that he had been right. So, they lived with their truce and Alexis just tried to focus on all the things that had made her fall in love with Pi in the first place.
Their dinner was a calm and quiet affair, mostly talk about events at the precinct (every time Ryan's name came up, Alexis couldn't help but feel her heart leap slightly) and her commenting about how her semester went along with her med school applications for after graduation.
As she helped Martha clear the table, she couldn't help thinking of someone else, who was on Staten Island and probably had to break the news to his family tonight that he would not be getting married next year.
"Hey, Gran?" Alexis asked, putting the last of the pots onto the drying rack while Martha started the dishwasher.
"Yes, darling?" Martha replied, looking over at her granddaughter.
"Can you make sure Pi stays occupied down here for a bit?" She requested, cringing internally. She and Ryan had never told any of their mutual acquaintances that they were much closer friends than anyone knew. It just seemed like a recipe for disaster, so she'd gotten used to just referring to him as a friend, sometimes in the category with her girl friends Paige and Taylor. "I have to make a call."
"Of course, kiddo," Martha smiled, glancing at where Pi, Kate, and Castle were sitting, trying to carry on a conversation about city smog affecting bees' migratory patterns. "Everything all right?"
"Yeah, just a friend having a rough time," Alexis smiled and kissed her grandmother on the cheek. "Thanks, Gran."
Alexis slipped quietly away, grabbing her cell phone from the counter and heading up the stairs to her room.
"Alexis?" the voice that picked up on the other end of the line was slightly rougher than she was used to hearing it, but still a welcome one all the same.
"Hey Kevin," she said, keeping her voice soft. "Just wanted to call and say Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas to you too," he replied. She heard the sound of a door closing in the background.
"Where are you?"
"Backyard, it appears I've been dealt babysitting duties of Max tonight," Ryan sighed in exasperation. "He's had about three slices of cake and insists that there is a creature in the garden he's destined to catch. Keeps jimmying the lock on the door to get out."
"He's been watching Pokemon?" Alexis guessed, sniggering at the thought of a 7 year old giving Ryan so much trouble.
"Yeah, or some new show similar enough to it. There are half as many children here as adults, but somehow, the little bastards are winning."
"Sounds terrible," Alexis's voice warmed sympathetically.
"The kids really aren't all that bad," Ryan responded, then shouted something away from the phone that sounded suspiciously like 'Max, put that hose down!' before his voice returned to her. "Gwen decided to wait until tonight to break the news that she is expecting a baby boy on June 16th. She no longer felt guilty about it being due the day that was supposed to be my wedding."
"Ooh, that's a low blow," Alexis winced in sympathy.
"No kidding," he grumbled. "I swear it was even in the same sentence. 'So sorry to hear about Jenny, but now I can tell you about baby number 3!' And cue oohs and awws from every other person at the table."
"How did you parents take it?" Alexis asked after a few seconds of listening to the crickets chirping in the background.
"About what I expected, my mother crying that I'll never be happy in life and my father saying that Jenny was too good for me anyway. And of course, everyone asking if I have any new prospects, offering me blind dates with good Irish Catholic girls from my mother's church. As if I'm not 32 years old and capable of finding a date on my own."
Alexis could practically hear the eye roll through the phone. In her mind's eye, she could see him as if they were in his apartment. He would be laying on the couch, feet hanging off the edge of the armrest, heels tapping restlessly against the side, arms folded behind his head, a resigned but somehow still disappointed look on his face. As it was, he was probably leaning against the side of his sister's house, keeping his eyes peeled for whatever trouble his nephew was getting into, but the same resigned and disappointed look in his eyes.
"Don't worry about them, in two days you can go right back to ignoring them. And you have absolutely zero obligation to date anyone they throw at you. Unless, of course, you really want to," Alexis replied, trying to be soothing, but also joking a little to lighten the mood.
"I know and no, I do not need to date someone from my mother's church. In no way is that even an inkling of a good idea."
"That sounds like it would be a family fall-out just waiting to happen."
"Yeah. Hang on a sec, I can hear Karen yelling, best get Max inside," Ryan said, sounding far away again for a minute. 'Max! Buddy! PJ time, little man. You can catch your Pokemon tomorrow' 'But Uncle Kev! What if he's not there tomowow? He could gwow up and fwy away!' 'I promise I will help you search tomorrow, but even you can't catch Pokemon if you're tired. C'mon, Mommy's calling.' 'Kevin! Is Max still out there with you?' 'Yeah, we're coming in now, keep your shirt on.' 'This is why you can't keep a woman, Kev, sarcasm does not become you.' 'Yeah, that's the reason.' 'Who are you talking to?' 'A friend.' 'A female friend?' 'No. Put your kid to bed, he's gotten way too close to figuring out how to turn the hose on for my comfort.' 'Mmhmm, Max! Bed time! Now! You coming in soon, baby brother?' 'Yeah, in a bit.' "Sorry about that, I'm back."
"Drama, drama, drama."
"Indeed," Ryan yawned through the phone before turning more contemplative. "I know you're still young and all, but have you ever thought about having kids?"
"Yeah, from time to time," Alexis said, thinking back to her childhood ideals of family and how they'd changed as she'd gotten older. "I think I'd want to have 2 kids. I was always lonely growing up as an only child. At the same time though, I can't even imagine how difficult it would be to keep track of three."
Ryan's response was a chuckle. "I'm assuming you heard part of that conversation with Karen? Even just having those two boys gives her a run for her money most days."
"How many do you want to have?" Alexis asked, he'd mentioned before how he wanted to start a family.
"I hadn't given that part too much thought, actually, just waiting to see what happened. In general, I always figured more than 1, but less than 5."
"Ah, very reasonable," Alexis agreed.
"Mm," Ryan hummed noncommittally. "Aren't you going to be missed from your cozy gathering?"
"I asked Gran to keep an eye on Pi for me," Alexis replied. "I wanted to check in with you. With all those pictures of your ever-growing family, I figured breaking the news about Jenny would be rough."
"Thanks," Ryan replied, sounding both surprised and touched.
"I'm glad it seems manageable though, just fend off those set-ups and you'll have a lovely holiday," Alexis offered cheerfully.
"Yup, that about sums it up," Ryan laughed softly. "I'm going to head back in. Have a good night, Alexis. And Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, Kevin," Alexis replied, an easy smile on her face as they hung up.
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Christmas morning was wonderfully full of pancakes, coffee, laughter, hugs, and gifts. Alexis got several new books, jewelry, and a boxed set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer before they got down to the last couple of gifts in the huge pile under the tree. For the past several years, she'd always gotten one gift from Kate and one gift that was given by both Ryan and Esposito. This year, Kate rummaged through her bag to pull out two boxes. One from Esposito and one from Ryan separately.
"Ryan just said he had something special for you this year," Kate answered both Castle and Alexis's questioning looks.
"Cool, thanks!" she said, happily accepting the boxes and trying not to draw too much attention to the idea of a special gift from Ryan. She opened the one from Esposito first, it contained a new case for her laptop with anatomy and physiology diagrams on it. She grinned, if she was going to be starting med school after Columbia, this would definitely come in handy. A small note was attached saying a quick Merry Christmas! Love from Lanie and Javier.
The present from Ryan contained a simple jewelry box, the outer velvet had a drawing of a tree with only "Crann Beatha" written in flowing script beneath it. She carefully unhooked the latch to peer inside and her breath froze. It was the most beautiful pendant she'd ever seen. The design was a simple, traditional Celtic Tree of Life, set in slightly tarnished silver, but what made her breath catch was the tiny glimmers of aquamarine nestled between the leaves of the tree in the pendant. As she gently lifted the necklace out of the box, she noticed the handwritten note laying beneath it.
Go n-ardóidh an bóthar chun bualadh leat.
Go mbeadh an ghaoth ar do dhroim i gcónaí.
Go n-éireoidh an ghrian le te ar d'aghaidh;
titeann an bháisteach bog ar do pháirceanna
agus go dtí go mbuailimid le chéile arís,
an féidir le Dia tú a choinneáil i dtearmann a láimhe.
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
A blessing courtesy of my grandmother, wished upon us every year since before I can remember. She sent us a box of her mother's jewels from Ireland. The gems in the tree reminded me of your eyes. All I did was get it cleaned, buy a new case, write a note, and now I give this necklace to a new home where it will be cherished.
Be well, Alexis. Merry Christmas
Kevin
"Alexis?" Castle asked, concerned as he watched his daughter's eyes fill with tears when she pulled a necklace and a note out of the box from Detective Ryan. "Everything ok?"
"Yeah," she said. "It was his great-grandmother's."
"It's beautiful," Pi said, his eyes smiling for her. She smiled back at him, happy that he could be happy for her.
"It's amazing," Kate murmured when Alexis handed it over for her step-mother-to-be to inspect.
"Is there something going on that I should be worried about?" Castle asked her, suspiciously teasing, as he also scrutinized the perfectly set pendant.
"Of course not," Alexis rolled her eyes and laughed, putting the note back in the case. "Ryan and I are friends. I can't imagine what he'd be trying to buy me off for."
"Still," Martha murmured, letting the pendant rotate from the end of its chain when she got a hold of it, the light from the sun catching the glimmer of the gems at just the right points as it spun. "This is exquisite."
"At least I'll know who took it, if it goes missing," Alexis said, meeting her grandmother's eyes with a teasing smirk as she snatched her necklace back. When she set it back in the box, she couldn't help thinking that maybe it was at this same exact time on Staten Island Ryan might be opening his gift from her.
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Kevin Ryan wasn't even lying to himself as he contentedly watched his nieces and nephews playing with their multitudes of new toys. He was happy. This was his family and he was absurdly grateful to be spending this holiday with them. As each of his sisters was presented with jewelry from their great-grandmother's box, he was also extraordinarily happy that his mother had let him take his pick from them first. As the baby of the family, it wasn't often that he was allowed to have the first pick of anything. But the box had arrived two weeks ago, before his parents knew that Jenny had moved out. So, he assumed that she'd called him over to pick out something special for his bride to be. He'd looked into that nest of silver rings, Celtic knots, and heavy earrings, but all he'd seen was that glimmering hint of aquamarine amongst all the silver and all he could think of was Alexis's clear, bright, smiling blue-green eyes. So, he'd taken the pendant. Everything else would be passed around among his sisters and possibly his future wife, if he ever did manage to find another potential bride, but that one particular necklace was only meant for one person to wear it.
"Kevin," Gwen came back out into the living room, another gift in her hands. "This one is for you."
"I thought the box from máthair mhór was going to be the end of gift-giving," Ryan said, slightly questioning as he accepted the box.
"Yeah, but I forgot about this. It came in the mail a couple days ago, it's not from us," Gwen explained, sitting back down at the coffee table with Karen and Stacey.
"Who is it from?" Ryan asked, now suspicious.
"No idea," Gwen replied, quickly losing interest in it. "Frank checked, there's no bomb in it or anything."
"I promise, brother, didn't get anything dangerous off the scanners at work," Frank assured him, laughingly.
Ryan sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win an argument about keeping a strange package with no return label, but he picked up the scissors to open it anyway. At least Frank had even bothered to scan it for anything potentially dangerous. The first thing he saw when he opened the box was the note, and he was immediately reassured that opening the rest of the box would be fine.
Kevin,
Merry Christmas! Just a little something to help replenish your wardrobe and maybe get you up to date on a few less geeky pop-culture references. I found Gwen's address from your contacts list when I reprogrammed your phone. I hope you're still planning on coming to Dad's New Year's Eve party!
Much love, Alexis
Once again, her note was simple, but it made him smile. He'd started to realize that her notes were much more straightforward than the tangents she could get off on when she talked. Maybe she had the time to edit and had actually gone through several note drafts before settling on the brief ones. That idea certainly fit with his impression of her perfectionism.
He reached into the box to find a new tie, the same fabric and colors as the one he'd had to throw out with a drug dealer's nose blood on it, though the pattern was slightly different. She had also fit a much smaller box inside, containing a new classic silver tie clip with a little green shamrock engraved into one corner. The last gift at the bottom of the box was the one that made him lose his composure though. His family stopped their conversations to stare at him as he pulled out The Ultimate Fan Girl's Guidebook to All Things Gossip Girl.
Text From: Kevin
Thank you for the gifts, you didn't have to
Text From: Alexis
I can't even form words. I absolutely love the pendant. And the poem. Both breathtaking
Text From: Kevin
I'm glad :)
Text From: Alexis
My gifts were so stupid compared to this. I'll make it up to you. When's your birthday?
Text From: Kevin
Please don't! I love them
Text From: Alexis
Are you sure? I'm sure I can make away with some of Gran's jewelry tonight.
Text From: Kevin
You're hilarious. And yes, I'm sure. Gifts are by definition given freely, no expectation of return and certainly no appraisal value attributed to them
Text From: Alexis
Well, my offer still stands, just let me know if you see something you like.
Text From: Kevin
Will do
Text From: Alexis
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Text From: Kevin
You too!
