"Kate, dear, come in" Martha says as she opens the door and ushers me in.
"Thank you." I walk in and turn back to her as she shuts the door.
"Richard isn't home dear." She says looking at me confused.
"Yes, I know the book tour, umm I was just…"
"Kate." I turned to the direction my name came from. I see the red haired teen smiling confused at me. "What are you doing here." She smiles hugging me. I don't realize I hold on to her harder and she does the same.
"Is something wrong dear?" I hear Martha ask. I pull out of Alexis' embrace.
"No, yes, well, I was wondering if maybe I could stay here for the night." I ask Martha quietly.
"Something is wrong isn't it?" Alexis asks worry coving her face and she looks so much like Castle in that moment I couldn't help the tear that escaped my eyes.
"Nothing's wrong and I feel so stupid feeling this way I mean it's only been a week, but I feel like I'm lost and I've never felt like this and I don't know what to do. I mean I haven't been at my apartment this long since I've been with Rick and I know I sound pathetic and I feel it I just I cant sleep at my place and he's not following me around every day and driving me crazy and I was just wondering if it wasn't too much of a burden I could stay here?" I ask Martha and Alexis while my eyes are focused on the floor.
I feel arms wrap around my torso. I hug Alexis back. "Of course you can stay here. Did you bring a bag?" she asked me as she stepped out of the embrace.
"It's in my squad car out front." I said and I feel my cheeks heat up.
"I'll go get it and don't worry I'll have Carlos, the door man, help me." She smiles and heads to the elevator.
"Martha, are you okay with this because if you're not than I can go I just, yeah." I didn't even know what to say to her, I was confused, exhausted, and in desperate need of Rick.
"No, dear, you can stay as long as you need to. Tomorrow is your Saturday off correct?" She asks.
"Yes." I confirm and I hear the door open telling us that Alexis is back.
"Good tomorrow you and Alexis can go over to your place and grab some more things. You'll need more than that bag if you are going to be staying here for the next month in a half." She smiles and holds her arms out. I walk into them and she holds me like my mom use to and I let out a few tears. "You are more than welcome to come over whenever you want to dear." She smiles and ushers me over to Alexis. "You can stay in Rick's room since that's where you've been staying." She winks and I can feel my cheeks burn again.
"Kate since it's Friday and I don't have school tomorrow do you maybe want to watch movies and sleep in the living room with sleeping bags and blow-up mattresses and we can do our nails and we can talk." Alexis asks nervously.
I hug her again. "Of course sweetie there is nothing else I would like to do."
Her smile was radiant and I couldn't help but return it. I heard the phone ring and Alexis went to get it. "Dad… She's here… she's going to be staying here… no… we're going to have a sleepover in the living room… tomorrow I'm going to go to her place with her and get some things, you think she'd let me borrow some of her cloths… yeah sure…. I love you too dad. He wants to talk to you." She says handing me the phone.
"Hello." I said quietly.
"Kate, is everything okay?" I can hear the worry in his voice.
"Yeah, I just really miss you." I tell him again quietly.
He sighs, "I miss you too."
"I hate Gina." I hear laughter come from over the phone and from around me.
"Me too." All three Castle's say.
"Well I should let you get some sleep." I tell him.
"Okay, I love you Kate." He says softly, I can hear the pain and love in his voice.
"I love you too Rick." The same pain and love in my voice, before I hear the click on the other end.
"It's okay Kate, I miss him too." I smile at Alexis.
"Okay come on lets get this living room ready for a sleepover." She squeals happily before darting upstairs getting things for the girls night.
"You know she thinks of you as a mom and a friend. You have been more of a mom to her in the past year than her mom has been in 16. She loves you, she just doesn't know how to tell you that she wishes you were her mom." I must have a disbelieving look on my face because she just kept going. "Don't give me that look Kate, she's told me and Rick it before."
"I love her too. Sometimes I feel like she is my daughter. We went out a few weeks ago and saw someone I knew from high school and they said I had a beautiful daughter and I went to correct them, but Alexis just played along with it. I thought it was because she saw how much they didn't like me, but thinking about it she looked like she wanted it to be real. You guys just can't stop climbing into my heart can you?" I joked.
Martha laughed, "Sorry dear, we just knew what we wanted and we fought until we got it. And you are well worth the fight Kate. Now go help Alexis with your sleep over, I'm going out now that you are here and don't expect me back until tomorrow morning." She winks and walks out the door. I laugh and head up the stairs to find Alexis.