Welcome To The Family
Season 7.
There were days when it amazed and humbled her to look around and realize she was part of a family again. For a long time she'd forgotten what it was like. Even after she'd gotten her father back, she'd been so focused on her job. They did get together for lunch or dinners between cases and she called him all the time. But those days of family traditions, of making memories, had gone when her Mom had left them. Becoming partners with Castle had been the catalyst for so much in her life and seeing him with his family, she'd made a promise to always ensure she did everything in her power to get him home to his mother and daughter, to his family. Now they were her family too. Now she was included in their family traditions, she was part of their family moments and they were making a few new ones along the way.
At the moment, it was the mug in her hand that was making her think about her life. White china. A silhouette of a castle on the side of it. A Christmas present from Alexis.
Welcome to the family. Even though you're Beckett, you're still a Castle. Alexis had shrugged it off but Kate really loved it. Loved that Alexis had said so much with such a small gesture. As they'd sat around the loft that night with a movie and hot chocolate, Kate had used her new mug, cuddled in her husband's arms with her stepdaughter taking up the space on the opposite side.
They'd stood together to make the drinks. She handed Alexis the new mug and pulled down Castle's "Richard Castle" mug down and Alexis' pumpkin mug from the cupboard. And that in itself made Kate smile again. To see their three mugs lined up next to each other. They drank coffee out of any mug but the Castle's had designated hot chocolate mugs? Yes, that was something wonderfully quirky about this family. The memory of the time Alexis had made her hot chocolate when her apartment had been blown up flashed through her mind. How different things were now.
She worked alongside Alexis in the kitchen, Alexis making the hot chocolate whilst Kate assembled the snacks. Castle was setting up the projector and finding the movies his girls had selected for the evening.
She felt the urge to wrap an arm around Alexis' shoulder and gave her a little squeeze. She was really glad they were getting closer and she no longer felt like she was on the outside looking in. The drinks ready, the movie set to go, Kate grabbed the bowl of popcorn, M&Ms and jellybeans (mixed together because it wasn't a Castle Movie Marathon without the "Castle Mix") and they joined Castle on the sofa.
Kate took her drink, cradling the cup in her hand as she got comfy next to her husband. She looked at the mug again, finger caressing the design and leaned deeper into Castle's side. She was proud of the name she'd made for herself, she was proud to be Katherine Houghton Beckett. But she was also really damn proud to be a Castle.