Misconception
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"So - you guys, like, love each other?"
Castle freezes, his eyes still on Kate, the tease dying on his lips. Alexis's question lingers in the air, and he swallows, tries to find something that will - at all - do this justice.
Kate's cheeks flush; she looks to Alexis. "Yes?" she says, her eyes traveling back to him.
"Was that a question?" he whispers, unable to look away.
"You didn't say anything," she mutters back. She looks - a little shy. No, not shy, exactly. Unconfident. She looks unconfident, and he wishes that weren't the case.
"Of course I love you," he says. He turns to Alexis. "We love each other."
"You love him?" Alexis says, pointedly, not looking at her father. He's not happy with Alexis so boldly asking something that ought to be between himself and Kate.
"I do," Kate says, and he feels her hand flip on his knee, fingers opening as if seeking reassurance - or maybe giving it.
He takes her hand even as his heart gives a helpless little pulse.
Alexis scowls. "That's not good enou-"
"Yes, Alexis, it is," he says sharply, giving her a look. "What Kate and I - that's between us. We've had conversations, we've been through things, we know-"
"Castle," Kate murmurs quietly, flexing her fingers around his.
He doesn't look at Kate; he keeps his eyes on his daughter. She used to be the little girl he rarely had to scold, let alone punish. She would ground herself for minor infractions; those big blue eyes would fill with tears and she'd hug him around his neck and promise never to do it again, and he felt like the luckiest - and best - father in the world.
Alexis flushes scarlet, clashing with the orange of her hair, and she lowers her eyes.
For the first time, he's seeing his daughter as a young woman and not that little girl. A young woman with a very different reasoning than his own, who has perhaps been allowed to think herself an adult for far too long.
He doesn't know where to go with that. It's - kind of too late, isn't it?
"Castle," Kate sighs.
He turns back to her. "No," he says softly. This much he knows. "What goes on between us doesn't involve anyone else. No one else gets to judge. We'll find our own way."
Kate nods shortly, but her eyes are on Alexis.
"Dad?"
He feels like he's caught in the middle, ping-ponging between Kate and Alexis. He turns back to his daughter and she's holding her elbows, chewing on her bottom lip. "Yes, Alexis? Did you-"
"Is it enough for you, Daddy?"
This is a conversation they've had; she's bringing it up on purpose. He hopes she remembers his answer then, because it's changed. Obviously it changed a few weeks ago when Kate - when he got things confused, when he let his heart get broken by a misunderstanding.
"Castle?"
He squeezes Kate's hand without looking at her, talks to his daughter. "It's more than enough, pumpkin. It's not even about that anymore."
Alexis deflates in her chair, sinking back. She suddenly looks like that tiny little girl again, the one he carried home from the park with sticky, ice-cream-melt fingers because she'd played all afternoon and was absolutely worn out. The little girl who used to put her cheek on his shoulder and nestle down against him, one small hand curled in the collar of his shirt to hang on for the ride.
Castle sighs. "Alexis. I know you said you were studying at a friend's, but are you staying long enough for dinner?"
His daughter jerks her head up, flushing again, her gaze slipping past him to glance at Kate. "Um. I wasn't going to. Senior exams start soon and I have AP tests. But-"
"No, don't let us ruin your hard work," Castle says quickly, releasing Kate's hand and standing. "Want a snack before you go?"
"Um, sure." Alexis takes his proffered hand and rises, but he can see she's still eyeing Kate nervously. This has been an honest but awkward conversation, and Castle himself isn't so sure where things stand. Only that everyone is going to try, which is a lot better than he hoped for at the beginning of this day.
"Want some carrot sticks and that hummus dip? I'm making a stir fry thing for dinner, so you can help me chop before you go." He knows he's too garrulous, talking too loudly, trying too hard. He herds Alexis towards the kitchen to give Kate a chance to catch her breath - or escape if she needs it - but his daughter ducks under his arm and strides to the couch.
Kate stands slowly, as if rising to meet a challenge, but the hesitation on her face twists his heart. It's for him, because of him, because this is his daughter. She wouldn't take this from anyone else.
Alexis leans in and embraces Kate swiftly, so that Kate just stands there astonished, her arms pinned to her sides, her gaze on him as if for help.
Castle holds his breath.
"I just ought to say congratulations," Alexis says in a rush. "I'm - I can't imagine how you feel, but I don't want my problems - I'm really not looking to make it worse for you. I promise. I know it's already hard."
Kate stops looking at him; instead her eyes cut down to Alexis and her arms come up, embracing his daughter. "Oh, Alexis, you've got it all wrong. I'm not making the best of a bad situation. It's actually pretty wonderful."
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