Oh jeez, I hope you guys like this chapter.
Chapter 21: The One Time
Kate was waiting for Lux to go up to bed. It wasn't a parent waiting for their child to come home kind of waiting. It was more in the back of her mind than that. She had just finally gotten herself ready for bed, when she hears Lux's footsteps finally crossing the living room. She crawls into bed, cuddling into Castle almost automatically. It only takes a second, before she looks up at him and mutters, "I don't if I'll be able to sleep."
"I know," Castle agrees.
Just how the listening for Lux's footsteps was noticeable to Kate a couple of minutes ago, she hears when Lux takes a couple of steps up the stairs, then stops and turns around. She pulls her head away from Castle. "What?" He asks.
Before Kate can answer, Lux comes around the corner to stand in their doorway. "You awake?"
"Yes," they answer in unison.
Lux cautiously takes a couple of steps into their room. She stops, making sure to keep herself at a distance. Lux's arms are closed over her chest, but she doesn't have a defensive energy by any means. "What-What if I messed up?"
"What do you mean?" Castle asks, unsure of what she means.
Lux skips to her next question, "What if tomorrow this doesn't work out?"
Kate breathes somewhat regretting her initial decision to let Lux choose if they should try to adopt her, but it quickly washes away, because she wants this. Castle back tracks to her first question, not quite knowing how to answer the latter, "You didn't mess up, Lux."
"Of course I did, that's what I do," Lux bites out.
They both are silent in the echo in Lux's voice. They are both silent because they both know what they can't say, so without thinking Kate says the only thing she know is not a promise or a lie, "I'll still be your mom, Lux." Her tone is so gentle and calm and even has a hint of condescension in it, which as a whole gives Lux a little bit of ease.
…
"Nope, I'm sorry, Lux," Kate says, causing Lux to roll her eyes and stomp back up the stairs.
"Beckett that's the third time she's come down the stairs."
"I know that Castle," she say with a drawl of annoyance. She can hear the tone in her own voice, so she gives Castle an apologetic look, before turning to Alexis. She's been sitting in front of them, watching intently, but she had almost forgotten she was visible until Kate asks, "Alexis, can you go help her pick something to wear?"
"Yeah," Alexis nods, before quickly making her way upstairs.
"The last couple outfits were just fine," Castle says, dropping another chocolate chip pancake onto the tower next to him.
"I know I just need her to be dressed- like…"
He raises his eyebrows at her, "Like…she's… taken care of…She is taken care of, Beckett."
She cocks her head to the side with uncertainty, which of course she counters, "Yeah, I know that."
He can see her lack in confidence, but tries to persuade her otherwise without pointing it out, "Then stop worrying about it. She's taken care of, happy, healthy, and she belongs with us and the judge is going to see that."
"Castle," she warns to keep him from making promises.
The girls' feet come flooding down the stairs. "Pancakes are ready," Castle greets them. Alexis comes down first then Lux, who has on dark blue skinny jeans and a dark gray shirt with plaid forearms. In short it was obviously Alexis' shirt. And though it is barely different from Lux's other outfits, Kate smiles at them with approval.
"Yum," Lux says, with forced enthusiasm, as she pulls on her sleeves. There is a certain degree of her attitude that seems to just be unnerved about what she's wearing, but a large chunk of it seems to be a regressive attempt to pull back, just in case.
…
Kate has to suspect that in smaller towns or even places just outside of the city, there is no waiting area in their courthouses. But the courthouse smack dab in the middle of New York does in fact have a waiting room.
Alexis and Castle are chatting. He grips tightly to Kate's hand. She sits there, her head resting on her fist as she watches Lux pace back and forth within only a couple of feet, just enough to keep from worrying anyone, but her mother. It wasn't only the small rut she was wearing in the floor, that told Kate Lux was uneasy. There was last night, her agitated attitude all day, and also they have been there for twenty minutes and Lux still has her coat on. "Babe?" Lux turns to Kate, but doesn't say anything, so Kate continues, "Do you maybe wanna take your jacket off?"
For a second, Lux looks like she may argue this, but a little bit to Kate's surprise, she does as suggested and lays the jacket over the back of the chair next to Kate. After doing so, she sits down next to her. She runs her fingers through her hair then sits back, forcing herself to relax and to some degree is failing as she begins pulling on her sleeves. It's a moment, before Lux asks, "Are you sure Fern's not supposed to be here?"
"I'm sure," Kate answers. "She already gave the judge her recommendation." Lux still seems uneasy, but doesn't follow up.
It's another five minutes before a paralegal calls for them to be taken back to Judge Herron's chamber. It's not a long walk to the room, where the judge is standing outside to greet them. The judge smiles as they approach. "You must be Detective Beckett," he says, extending his hand out to Kate.
"Yes, your honor," she answers, shaking his hand.
"Mr. Castle," he says, turning to Castle, who shakes the judge's hand as well. He then turns to the girls and looks at Alexis, then Lux. He takes a quick glance at Kate again, before he smiles and looks back at Lux. "And you must be Lux Beckett."
She smiles and shakes his hand, "Yes, and that's Alexis," she says, giving mercy to the man.
"Good to meet you, Alexis," he says, greeting and shaking hands with the last member of the group. He steps back to talk to them now as a whole. "Okay, so as you know this is normally a formality hearing, but it is a little different for your case. And for that exact reason I would like to talk to you separately."
"All of us, separately?" Castle asks.
"Well you and Detective Beckett at the same time, then Lux."
"Oh," Castle says.
"Okay," Kate says. "Sound good?" She asks, looking to Lux.
"Yeah, that's fine," Lux assures her.
"Okay then, why don't we get started," he says, opening the door to invite Kate and Castle in. Before he shuts the door behind them, Kate looks back and gives Lux a quick smile.
The room is a dim, but warm place with dark walls and Herron's desk. After the three of them sit down, Herron takes a deep breath and calmly says, "Let me try to see if I understand this. Lux is your biological daughter, whom you gave up?"
"Correct," Kate answers. Castle takes a small mental note that she says it with a certain degree of confidence she didn't have before.
"And somehow ended up finding you?"
"She found my name in the file the case worker had to assist Lux in getting emancipated," she answers though the judge looks blankly at her. Surely he understood her, but obviously wants simple, so Kate rephrases, "She tracked me down at my job."
He moves the folder he had open aside, "Okay, so that explains the emancipation papers." He looks up at them, "I take it she doesn't want to be emancipated anymore?"
"No," Kate adds.
He nods and pulls out another manila folder out of his pile, "And your job is where all these come in." He throws the folder into the other pile, "Okay, I read the trial papers already," he seems to officially be talking more to himself now, than to them. There are only two folders left on the desk he flips to the middle of the top one and looks up at them. "This is where I got lost. According to this, Lux didn't live with you guys for a solid year. What happened from May to July?"
They both look at each other, unsure of what to say, but Castle is the one to bite the bullet, "I was kidnapped, I don't know if-"
"Oh it's in this mess somewhere," he nods, evidently knowing what he's talking about and getting immune to their typical.
"So CPS decided that Lux was unsafe in my custody," Kate continues.
"I see." He grits his teeth as again, he says seems to start talking to himself, "I can't figure out which is more messed up you of the system," He looks down at the folders contents. It's a moment before he says something again, "And she returns to being in your custody in August, which I'm really not quite sure how you managed that, but it's impressive," he says flipping through the sheets. He looks up at Kate. "Seriously," he adds with more sincerity.
She huffs an uncomfortable laugh, "Alexis helped actually."
"And Alexis is your daughter, correct?" He asks Castle.
"Yes," Castle answers.
"Is it safe to say then that Alexis and Lux get along?"
Once again Castle and Kate look at each other, as if to double check with one another, but only a second goes by before they answer, in unison, "Yes, definitely."
"Good," he says, before he moves on to the last folder. He doesn't open it, yet and says, "Okay, I think I've asked all the questions I have for the two of you, but I would still like to talk to her, before I make my decision."
Kate nods, "Of course."
Alexis paces the hall, in a slow calculated way that almost looks more like a dance. Lux on the other hand keeps her focus on the door as if she can hear what's going on or can predict what's to come. When the door opens, Lux and Alexis' attention is immediately pulled to them. "Your turn," Kate says, brushing some of Lux's hair behind her shoulder, then nods to give her the go ahead.
As soon as Lux walks in, Herron warmly greets her, "Come on in."
She gives him a pressed smile, before taking a seat in front of him. He waits until she is settled before starting. "I wanted to talk to you to hear your side of everything."
"My side?" She asks, confused by the implication that she is on a different side than Kate and Castle.
"Yes," he huffs, looking down at the now open file in front of him, "You were in a lot of foster homes before this one?"
Lux is cautious as she agrees, "Yes."
"With all this paperwork I can see that you are a very outspoken girl. You do what you want, as many of you kids do." He sighs, before he continues, "So, I'm going to ask you three questions and I expect you to be honest with me, okay?"
Lux leans forward preparing for her inevitable essay questions, "Okay."
"Part of the reason this can't be straight forward is because I and this department have a responsibility to keep you safe. Unfortunately, we have failed at that with you at least once before. In some people's opinion, Kate's job puts you at a certain amount of risk, but those are other people not you. So my first question is do you feel safe with Kate and Richard?"
She shocks at the seemingly simple question, or maybe it's how simple the answer is that shocks her, "Y-yes."
"Do you trust them?"
She furrows her eyebrows, at the once difficult question, but after a minute truthfully answers, "As much as I can."
He give a quick smile for her honesty, then laces his fingers together and puts them on the table in front of him, as he says, "I saved the easiest for last, then."
"Okay," she nods.
He gives her a weak smile, knowing her answer before he asks, "Do you want to be a part of their family?"
Lux finally relaxes as a smile spreads across her face, but she smothers it when she realizes she's getting ahead of herself, "They are my family."
The judge then gives Lux a slightly pitying look that makes her feel uneasy. He then asks her to grab Kate and Castle from the hall. Lux nods in compliance, but she quickly turns back to him before following the instructions, "And Alexis?"
He nods, without looking up from the last of the paperwork in front of him, "Yes, she can come in as well."
It isn't until the whole group is standing in front of him, does the judge start talking, "Okay, I'm ready to make my decision. After carefully reading your files, talking to you, to your social worker, I've come to understand all the quirks and flukes of this case. Lux, I am sorry that this system has failed you so many times. So, because I, myself, don't really see a problem, especially since you feel safe with them. I do not see a reason to keep them from adopting you." Lux looks to Kate and Castle as if to ask it they heard him.
They smile back at her so she turns to the judge, "Really?"
"Really," he answers, reflecting her smile. Kate pulls Lux into a hug, after which Alexis wraps one arm around Lux's shoulders and squeezes her tightly.
Castle grabs Kate's hand, as he asks, "So she's ours."
Herron smiles, "Yes."
Kate smiles one last time at Lux, before she turns to the judge, "Thank you so much."
Herron takes out two stapled papers, as he explains, "All you have to do is sign this adoption agreement form. By doing so you are both agreeing to take care of Lux as your own legal child, to provide for her health, her welfare, and her educational needs."
"Yes," Kate nods.
"Of course," Castle agrees.
Herron turns to Lux, as he hands the thin packet to Kate and Castle to sign, "And, of course Lux, you understand that as their legal child you have all the rights of any biological child."
"Yeah," Lux says, keeping a more even composure than before, while still having a huge smile plastered across her face.
"Okay, then," Herron says. He says taking the papers from Kate and Castle. "On this date, January 24th 2015, Katherine Beckett and Richard Castle, have officially adopted Lux Beckett. You're now legally their child. I will hereby sign this order confirming this adoption."
When the four of them leave the room, Alexis and Lux walk ahead of Kate and Castle. Alexis ruffles her hair like she is a little kid. When the chamber doors shut, Lux laughs and turns to face them as she walks backwards, "Finally!" Kate finds Lux's smile infectious as she leans on Castle's shoulder. Lux turns on her heels again, "One thing. One thing went my way." When she presses her lips together she can feel herself about to cry, but she swallows it, rolls her eyes, and lets out another huge smile.
Finally able to publish this! It's only been like four months since I wrote it. No big deal.