Misconception
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Castle stands dumbstruck in the kitchen while Alexis actually heads for the living room. Kate has sat down in one of the chairs, leaving them the couch, unconsciously - or consciously - separating herself out from himself and his daughter.
She's the master of the interrogation; she did it to him earlier this evening, working him around to admit to a promise he didn't think he wanted to make. And if she thinks she's sending some kind of message to Alexis that Kate won't be - what? interfering? taking sides? - then he's not willing to help her send that message.
Because it's not true.
He comes around the back of the couch before his daughter can complete the journey from the kitchen, and as he sits, he grabs Kate's hand and tugs, pulling her up. She gives him a flashing look, mostly surprise, but now she's caught out in the middle, out of the chair and halfway to the couch, and Alexis is moving for the other chair.
"Castle," she chides.
"With me," he tells her. At least that much he knows. A united front.
She sinks down on the couch beside him, though there's a healthy amount of space between their legs. Alexis looks small in the chair, alone, and he's not sure that she doesn't deserve it.
He has no idea what she'll say to Kate, and he didn't have the chance to beg her to be kind - he didn't expect this confrontation, not with the way they've left things, not with the shaky truce he and Kate managed to find.
One wrong word from his daughter might bring it tumbling down.
And then Alexis speaks. "You know he's been messing around with that stupid flight attendant."
His jaw drops. "Alexis!"
"Oh, believe me," Kate says. "There have been words."
"Alexis-"
"I don't like her," she practically shouts. And then her cheeks flush. "She's a complete and utter moron, Dad. I like Detective Beckett a whole better than her, because at least then you're not - not - being so shallow. Just heartbroken."
That was a little nasty, that tacked on comment about him being heartbroken was meant to cut Kate.
But Kate glances at him, and he realizes that maybe she's waiting on him to speak to that. He doesn't know what to say to that. He barely got a chance to sound out his daughter before Kate came out of the bedroom. And now this - this attack.
He has been shallow. And heartbroken. And Alexis saw that too.
Kate sighs. "As you found out," she says. "I'm pregnant."
"Well, that seems entirely anti-climactic now, but yes, we are pregnant." He shoots her a look for that singular pronoun and she scowls.
"I didn't mean anything by that," she mutters at him. "Give me a break."
Alexis laughs, though it sounds a little desperate. "I think maybe you'll just have to get used to that. If you're staying."
Kate pauses and takes a breath and he can see her readjusting to the new dynamic - his daughter okay enough to laugh but still being a little mean - and he wonders if Kate knows she does this kind of thing. All the time. She does actually mean something with the words she chooses, and usually it's to lead suspects onto the path she desires, not have a conversation with Alexis. But it works there too.
"I didn't mean to sound like-" Alexis stops and bites her lip. "I guess I did. But you hurt him. A lot. And all the good you guys did seems - worthless. And now a baby, just like that. What's supposed to happen now?"
Kate doesn't respond to that, still studying Alexis, and his daughter is studying her back, but he's the father here.
"Kate and I are still talking about what happens next," Castle starts.
She presses her hand to his knee and his words die out; when he looks over at her, she's already opening her mouth.
"We know what happens next," she says. "It's just that getting there takes time we don't really have right now. So-"
"So, that's it?" Alexis says, incredulous. "We know what happens - of course we do - you have a baby. And what do you mean, you don't have time? It's so terribly inconvenient for you to be burdened for nine months-"
"Alexis," he says sharply.
His daughter flushes at the look on his face and crosses her arms.
Kate's fingers are claws in his knee, clutching for dear life, he thinks. He covers her hand; he didn't realize this would intimidate her so much. She puts up such a good front that even he doesn't see through her.
"I meant," Kate says, clearing her throat. "Castle and I - your dad and I - we know where we want to be, and it's with each other. But a lot has happened to both of us, and I have some things I have to make up for-"
"Make up for?" he says, turning a startled look her way. "What are you talking about?"
She lifts her hand to his jaw, her eyes softening into something he doesn't recognize, never has understood, but always hoped-
She lightly kisses his cheek, hidden from his daughter by his own body, her mouth coming to his ear. "Quite a lot, if I made you quit waiting for me."
He struggles fiercely not to get choked up; her eyes are so sad. "I'm sorry-"
"No," she says, shaking her head. "Stop. Not right now. Just-" She curls her fingers into her hand, no longer touching him, gestures towards his daughter.
He glances over and Alexis looks fierce and angry. And probably hurt, though it seems unfair.
"Hey, pumpkin," he calls to her. She responds, her eyes jerking back to him. "I know you're worried for me. But I'm the adult here. You are still in high school. For a little while longer anyway. So we'll excuse the childish behavior and start over. All of us."
Alexis's mouth drops open. He doesn't look at Kate; he's fairly certain she's just trying to keep herself together.
You're hurting her. They all are - they have been - and he knew it, but he couldn't quite figure out how to stop it before.
"Kate and I are going to have a baby, and yes, there's a pretty strict time table for that, like you said. But she and I both realize that nine months isn't a lot of time to work out all our issues, especially with a baby on top of that. Which means it's not going to be happily ever after."
"But it will," Kate says.
He glances back at her, a fast look, because he really needs to see her face after a statement like that. She's just as fierce as he heard in those words, and he can't help smiling. The fight in her - that's for his good, that's for them.
"But it will be," he agrees, turning back to his daughter. "And you're a part of that, Alexis. You've been here for all of it, seen us both struggling with it, and you'll - unfortunately - see a lot of messiness in the next few months too. I did some things I'm not proud of-"
"And I've been silent - lying," she amends. He can hear the unsteady breath she takes. "I've been lying because it was easier, and because I'm not strong enough to tackle anything more complicated than just - breathing, sleeping through the night without nightmares - but this is forcing me to confront that. And-"
"You have nightmares?" Alexis interrupts. "I - do too."
"You have nightmares?" he says, staring at her.
She flushes. Kate's fingers slide over his knee and squeeze and his heart rate doubles; between Alexis and this strange new freedom he and Kate have to just touch each other - he's not sure he knows which way is up.
"You saw me get shot," Kate says. "And your dad - I think he tackled me? I don't quite - parts of it are gone. But I imagine that hearing the gunshot and seeing him down..."
Parts of it are gone? Well, no wonder she never said anything. It would be hard to know if the memories that were there were real. Why has he not thought of that?
"He tackled you but-" Alexis chokes. "I thought you got shot, Dad. I thought-"
Castle jerks up from the couch and stands to envelope his daughter in a tight embrace, tugging her up with him. "It's okay. We're okay. I wasn't shot." It was Kate; Kate was shot and of course she has nightmares and-
He turns around and looks for her, holds his arm out to the woman on his couch. She shakes her head once, and he folds his arm back around Alexis and frowns over her head at Kate.
Not about me, she mouths, the words so faint that he only hears a bare echo of them.
Alexis grips him tighter, clutching at him, and he aches to comfort them both - Kate and his daughter - but right now he has to choose.
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