Author's Note: I'm sorry this chapter took me so long. I've been swamped this last month. Hope you guys enjoy.

Chapter 4: Hell Hath No Fury

Now that the movie is over, Castle gets up, shifting Kate, who has fallen asleep on his shoulder, so that the couch cushion is supporting her head. Alexis heads to the island, in the kitchen, and Castle follows her slowly, "You going to bed?"

"I have a little more studying to do," she sighs.

Castle smiles sleepily, "Don't stay up to late." He leans down and kisses the top of her head, then walks to the couch and slowly picks up Kate and carries her to the bedroom.

"Night dad," Alexis sees refocusing on her book.

"Night sweetheart," Castle says quietly over his shoulder.

Lux, who was just observing Alexis and Castle, pushes herself off the couch. She moves lightly on her feet as she walks over to Alexis and leans her stomach against the counter. After a moment of silence she sighs, "Kate knocked out pretty fast."

Alexis pulls her eyes away from her book and looks at Lux, "Beckett is good at a lot of things, staying awake during a movie is not one of them."

Lux purses her lips, "What about being a parent?"

Alexis' face scrunches, "Time will tell, I guess. She's good to me, great, actually."

"She seems okay, but they all do until the honeymoon phase ends," Lux skeptically sighs.

Alexis smiles, making Lux pull a confused face. She explains, "That's another thing Beckett isn't good at, honeymoon phases, I don't even think that is part of her vocabulary."

Lux squints out of confusion. Alexis' smile fades, "She's not going to let you go, because you become too boring or too much work, sorry to break it to you but she has you now, she will never let you go." Lux's eyes widen with amusement.

The front door suddenly creaks at the noise of a key turning in the door. Alexis and Lux both turn to the noise, only to see Martha walk in. "Hi Gram," Alexis chimes.

Lux laughs as she says, "How many people live here?"

"She's the last one," Alexis says with a laugh.

"And who is this?" Martha asks Alexis, waiting for an introduction.

Alexis turns to Lux, "You or me?"

Lux gestures for her to go ahead, "Go ahead. Rip off the band aid."

Alexis turns back to her grandmother, "This is Lux. She's Beckett's daughter."

"Katherine has a daughter?" Martha says with some amusement in the way Alexis would expect her to react if she said Beckett's favorite color is yellow, it's surprising but not earth shattering. "It is lovely to meet you," Martha says as she walks over and hugs Lux. When she pulls away she looks at them for a beat then continues, "Shouldn't you girls be in bed?"

Alexis raises her eyebrows, "Shouldn't you? Besides I'm studying."

"Well, I just had a lovely evening with an old friend and will be going to bed shortly. Lux, darling what is your excuse?"

"New living arrangements," Lux says confident in her answer.

"Very well then, I will see you girls in the morning," Martha says as she walks up the stairs.

"Good night," Lux says.

"Goodnight gram," Alexis follows.

For a short moment there is only silence, and then Lux purses her lips and says, "So Kate has no honeymoon phase?"

Alexis doesn't even look up from her book this time, "Not even in her vocabulary."

…

Kate blinks away the sleep and squints at the sound of her phone ringing. She quickly turns herself on her side and grabs her phone off of the night stand. "Beckett," she answers rubbing her face. "Yeah, I'll be right there." She hangs up the phone and rushes herself out of the bed. She pulls off her shirt and tosses it at Castle's head. "Get up, Castle."

He mumbles and turns his head towards her, as she pulls on a white button up blouse, "Did I sleep in?"

"We both slept in," she says as she places her engagement ring back on her finger.

"But I'm so tired," he groans.

Kate latches her father's watch on her wrist than pauses and glares at him, "You know we brought home a teenager not a baby right?"

"Mhmm," Castle mumbles drifting back to sleep.

Kate pulls on her work pants and scolds, "Castle!"

Castle slowly sits up, "Right… right, I'm up."

She leaves the bedroom and goes to the kitchen to start scavenging for a quick breakfast. She is surprised when she sees Alexis sitting in one of the stools at the island. "Did you sleep?" Kate questions.

"Yeah, I just got up early, by the way Lux said she was taking the train to school and back."

'Thanks, I didn't even think of getting her to school, speaking of when do you go to school today?"

"I don't have class for another two hours."

"Good luck," Kate smiles and then yells, "Come on, Castle, let's go!"

He comes rushing out into the living space and goes over to Alexis and kisses the top of her head, "You sleep well?"

"Well yes, long no"

"You'll do great on the test I'm sure of it."

"Thanks dad," Alexis smiles.

Kate smiles, "You ready?"

"Yup," he says sucking on his bottom lip. He walks out the door, followed by Kate shutting it.

…

It has been an unproductive day. Everything has lead to dead ends, causing Castle and her to become antsy. "I just need a lead," Kate groans. She is leaning up against her desk as Castle stands a couple feet away, both of them staring at the murder board.

Her crossed arms unravel as she lifts her right hand and touches her collar. Her fingertips are only greeted by the fabric of her blouse. She pats her chest pulling her fingers together trying to grasp anything other than fabric. Worry quickly washes over her and Castle feels her mood change immediately. She rubs her hand around the back of her neck and looks at him frantically.

Castle's forehead wrinkles, "What's wrong?"

She breaks eye contact and turns around and hysterically pushes things around on her desk. "My mom's ring, it's- it's not here."

He looks at the floor and starts retracing their small amount of steps. She goes to the other side of her desk and opening each drawer only to close them when the necklace doesn't up, after quickly riffling through them. Castle shuffles back from the elevator then walks a circle around her desk, his eyes glued to the floor.

"Are you sure you put it on this morning?" Castle is discouraged by his own solution, he knows damn well that she puts on that necklace every day, today would be no different.

She puts her hands in her jacket's pockets, then looks at Castle with heart racing stress showing on her face. "Yes… no, it's an autopilot thing. I never really remember doing it I just do, but…" She exhales trying to calm herself down, as she sits down in her chair, tense and upset.

Castle sits in his chair, "Still, it may be at home." Kate puts her elbows on her desk and runs her fingers through her hair. He sighs because he can see the pain of the loss building up inside of her. He grabs the side of her chair so she is across from him. "We'll find it Kate, I promise."

"Don't promise… you don't know…"

"I promise. We'll find it."

…

While actively skipping school, Lux sits on the couch, in the loft, waiting for her friends to get there. The knock on the door makes her jump to her feet. She practically skips to the door and when she opens it she is greeted by her friend's faces. "Hey, I'm so glad you found where this place is."

The three of them quickly invite themselves in. Natasha smiles, "So this is where you live now," then turns and frowns at Lux, "I thought we had a deal."

"It was completely out of my hands."

Bug wraps his arms around her and kisses her, "Don't worry about it. We'll get you out of here soon."

Lux pulls away, "I don't know-"

Natasha saunters down the stairs, which Lux didn't realize she had gone up, and says, "Nice place for a writer. Hey do you think this will fit me." Natasha says holding up a light tan dress.

Lux completely pulls herself out of Bug's embrace, "Tasha put that back that's Alexis' and it probably costs more than all of us combined." Natasha trudges back up the stairs. Lux quickly spins around and slightly stammers, "Where's Gavin?"

Gavin strolls out of Castle and Beckett's room, "You think it costs more than this?" Gavin asks with a smirk, as a necklace with a ring at the end dangles on his pointer finger.

Lux marches over, "Are you insane that's Kate and Castle's room?" She takes the necklace off Gavin's finger.

Gavin continues to smile, "Hey, you said I needed a 401K." He points at the ring, "That's my plan right there."

Bug scolds, "Gavin!" When Gavin turns to Bug he demands, "We're out."

When Gavin and Bug leave, Lux puts the necklace on the island and Natasha returns from upstairs. Natasha leans on the island giving herself some distance from Lux, who is supporting herself against the kitchen counter.

"You should just think of this as saving her the trouble of kicking you out."

Lux laughs, "I don't think Kate would kick me out."

"Come on Lux, you've been in and out of enough foster homes to know how these people are."

Lux finds herself beginning to get defensive, "You don't know these people."

"Neither do you. One mistake and you're gone."

"They're my family."

Natasha cocks her head to the side, "Really? Because I thought we were your family."

"Maybe I don't want to just pack up and leave. At least I'm not sharing a room with six other kids or worse locked in one. For the first time in my life I feel like somebody wants me."

"You've only been here one night."

"Doesn't that show how amazing it is here?"

"Fine," Natasha says pushing off the counter. She walks over to the front door and swings it open, "Then stay. Oh and happy birthday," Then Natasha slams the door making Lux wince and feel uncertain about her choice.

…

Kate marches straight through the front door and to the stairs. She yells up them, "Lux!"

Castle slowly shuts the door and looks over to see Alexis, who is watching TV on the couch. He immediately registers that she is puzzled by Kate's demeanor. He goes and sits on the back of the couch next to where she is. "What's wrong?" Alexis' concern fills her hushed voice and shows on her face.

Castle turns to Alexis, "Well-"

"Lux!" Kate yells again, but this time Lux appears at the top of the stairs.

"What?!"

"You skipped school."

"Only study hall and a part of sex ed," Lux says as she walks down the stairs. "Who needs to know how condoms work, anyway?"

Kate turns from Lux, who is now in the kitchen, to Castle, her eyebrows raised and her mouth slightly opened. Castle opens his mouth to say something than just closes it, out of shock.

"I'm gonna go," Alexis says, as she turns off the TV and quickly moves to and up the stairs.

Kate turns back to Lux, "Lux, you-"

"Beckett," Castle mutters trying to deflect. He has seen fights not worth fighting, ones that end with someone pulling away. Alexis and him have had a few, Beckett and him more, but he sees Lux do it every time Beckett confronts her.

"What, Castle?!"

"The necklace," He says calmly. Kate deflates slightly and walks to the bedroom. Lux rolls her eyes.

Kate returns quickly now obviously focused on something else, "It isn't there." Castle closes his eyes. He was really hoping his distraction would produce something.

Lux starts quietly pushing things around the island. Her eyes grow wide with internal panic, when it doesn't turn up. It was right there, she put it right there.

Castle starts looking under the couch cushions and Kate gets on her hands and knees and starts look underneath the couch. Kate huffs when she doesn't see it, "This day is going to kill me."

Lux glares at them even though they don't look at her, "Well on that note, I'm going to my room." She marches up the stairs, but when she gets to the top she goes further down the hall, turns left, and then knocks on the door to the right.

"Come in," Alexis softly greets. Lux walks in and just stands in the doorway looking at Alexis, who is sitting cross legged at the head of her bed, "You can sit."

Lux closes the door and sits on the edge of the bed. She points at the door, "Are they always like that?"

Alexis closes her laptop, "Like what?"

"Annoying?"

"With the ooey gooey, teasing thing they do, sometimes, yeah, oh and sometimes they do this thing where they say the same thing at the same time, like they share one mind."

Lux smiles, "Yeah that's not what I meant." She shifts slightly, "By the way what's up with the necklace?"

Alexis squints, "What necklace?"

"Kate is on her hands and knees in the living room looking for a necklace."

Alexis jerks and tucks her legs under her, "Wait it's Beckett's necklace?"

"Yeah, why?"

Alexis pushes her laptop and blankets to the side, "We have to go downstairs and find it." Alexis gets off the bed and walks towards the door.

"Wait," Alexis is already down the hall and Lux is left sitting on the bed alone, "You didn't answer my question," Lux says her words slowly dying.

Alexis runs down the stairs, "Did you guys find it?"

"No," Kate seethes as she stands up off the floor.

Castle straightens, "How did you know it was missing?"

Alexis shrugs, "I've got people."

Kate looks at Castle and they both guess, "Lux."

Lux walks down the stairs slowly, "That really is weird."

Alexis smiles at her, in a 'I Told You So' type of way. Lux looks at Kate and Castle, defeat all over their faces. "Can I go over to Tasha's?"

"Yeah," Kate tiredly exhales, "Be home by… 8:30."

"Yup," Lux lets out. Castle and Kate both plop down on the couch, as Lux quickly grabs her coat and leaves.

Castle looks at Kate, "Who's Tasha?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. A friend from school, I think."

Alexis looks at them in her own displeasure, "No necklace?"

Kate looks at her and runs her fingers through her hair, "We've looked everywhere." Alexis drops down on the couch.

"I'll clean the house tomorrow…" Alexis says after a second of silence.

"You don't have to do that, Alexis," Kate starts.

"Don't worry about it; I was going to do some light cleaning before I went over to Paige's apartment, anyways."

Kate sits up straighter, "Wait you said Paige's birthday is January 19th."

"Yeah… today's the 18th," Alexis says slowly, unsure why it matters.

Castle's curiosity kicks in and he looks at Kate, "How did you remember that?"

Kate's jaw is frozen slightly unhinged. She turns to Castle and closes her mouth gritting her teeth, "I remembered because it's a day after Lux's birthday."

Castle raises his eyebrows and all Alexis can do is let out, "Umm…"

Castle and Kate stare at each other for a second, before he says, "We should go."

"Yeah," Kate says as they all get up. Castle goes straight for the coat rack and grabs both of their coats.

"I'll bake cupcakes," Alexis says quickly.

"Thanks," Kate says right before she and Castle rush out the door.

…

Lux jumps out of the cab, onto the sidewalk. She marches up to Gavin, Natasha, and Bug, who are sitting on a couch placed outside of their apartment building. "Okay, Gavin give it back!"

"Give what back?" Bug questions sitting on the back of the couch.

Gavin looks at her humorously, "What?"

"Seriously I don't have time for this the meter's running, just give me the necklace."

"What? What necklace?" Gavin is slowly getting defensive.

"What's wrong?" Bug asks as he jumps off the couch.

"He freakin' stole it, Kate's necklace with the ring on it."

"Screw you I didn't take your damn necklace," Gavin says lightly pushing Lux out of the way.

"Oh really, because I saw you with it and now it's gone."

Bug approaches her, "He didn't take your necklace."

"Don't defend him. That 401K crap, we all heard it."

Natasha gets off the couch and stands in between Lux and Gavin, "Get over yourself. You come back here with your new Nob Hill, white picket fence life. You think that any of us need your mom's tacky crap?"

Bug grabs Lux's arm and turns her around to face him, "If he said he didn't take it, he didn't take it."

Lux relaxes slightly, "If he didn't than who did?"

"Look you got a shot at a new life. We all get it, but coming up here yelling at us, at Gavin, like we did something wrong-"

Lux interjects, "He did do something wrong. And what if Kate finds out?"

Bug shrugs, "So what, Lux? So she's your mom now and that trumps everything?" Lux's irritation is slowly growing. "Up until yesterday we were family and not because anyone had to force us to take you in. We wanted you, because we wanted you." Lux's smiles apologetically.

Bug walks into the apartment building and her smile dies as she turns around to Natasha and Gavin, "I'm sorry you guys. I don't know what I was thinking." Neither seems to accept the apology. Lux looks at Natasha, "You want to come back to the loft with me?"

Natasha tightens he jaw, "The last person I want to be around right now is you." Natasha throws her bag over her shoulder before walking away with Gavin following her. Lux closes her eyes for a second then turns and walks back to the cab.

…

When Lux gets to the loft's door, she takes a deep breath before turning the doorknob. They keep the door unlocked when Lux is out because they haven't had time to get her a key. She smiles when she sees Kate and Alexis frosting the last two cupcakes and Castle eating one of them. All three of them look up when she comes in the door.

"Surprise," Castle says with a mouthful of cupcake. Kate punches him in the arm and walks over to Lux. "Ow," Castle complains.

Alexis looks at him as she licks frosting off her finger, "You deserved it."

Kate grabs Lux's shoulders, "Lux, I'm sorry I forgot your birthday. Well, I didn't really forget it as much as I forgot what date today is."

Lux's smile widens as she looks around Kate at the cupcakes and presents, "It's amazing. No one ever remembers, or cares to." Lux looks at Kate, whose smile is still a little uneasy, "Seriously Kate it's amazing." They walk over to the island, where Castle and Alexis are.

"We were talking and we thought that this Sunday we could have a big party and invite our friends and family," Alexis says with a smile as Lux grabs one of the cupcakes and shoves it in her mouth

"And you can invite your friends," Castle adds.

"We would have done that tonight, but we don't know who your friends are," Kate finishes.

Lux wipes her face and looks up at the streamers on the ceiling. "That- that sounds great." She looks at them all, "Thank you so much."

Castle looks over at Kate. He can tell she is worried. He subtly wipes frosting on his finger and quickly puts it on her nose. She pulls back and her smile grows showing her teeth, which makes Castle grin because he knows he pulled her out of whatever was going on her head, at least for now. Lux laughs and Alexis tucks in her lips, trying to hide her giggles. "Oh, you think it's funny," Kate smirks at Lux.

Kate wipes some frosting off a cupcake; Lux giggles and pleads, "N-n-no!" Kate smears the frosting down Lux's cheek.

They continue with Castle putting icing on Alexis' cheek, Alexis smearing a cupcake down his shirt, and Lux smashing a cupcake on Kate's head. They eventually die down when they run out of viable cupcakes. They all stand there laughing and Lux looks at all of them, covered in icing and cake. In that moment, she doesn't care what Tasha or Bug think. This can be her family too.