Honest to goodness doing the best I can to manage considering complications and injuries. Will make every effort to get these chapters out. In the future I don't plan to publish any story until it is complete- and all chapters are written.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
They spent the day together, taking the mall by storm. Mia was hesitant at first but soon let go and enjoyed the process of finding clothing. The true change came when Alexis joined them just before lunch. Mia was quiet around the girl at first, but soon Alexis opened her up.
"So, what grade are you in?" Alexis asked, taking genuine interest in the girl that was Kate Beckett's daughter.
"Um…" Mia hesitated. Truth be told she wasn't sure what grade she would be in. She stopped going to school last year when she ran away. "I think the 7th grade, but I haven't really had a school to go to." She admitted. The younger teen became self-conscious. Surely the older and wiser girl would look down on her.
"My dad tells me you're a reader though, even though you weren't able to go to school." Alexis offered, trying to make Mia feel at ease.
"I love to read." She admitted. "Everything I can get my hands on." She sheepishly added.
"I'm the same way, and so is my dad." Alexis smiled and squeezed Mia's arm.
"So is Kate." Castle added, bringing them all together in their common love of books.
"You know, I've got lots of clothes that I don't wear anymore. You've got to come to my dorm to try them on. I've got more at the loft too. Let's go through them later." Mia smiled at her invitation before asking Alexis about her shoes and then about the necklace she wore.
It was clear that Mia was warming up, and becoming more confidant in herself as she exchanged words with Alexis. Castle and Beckett smiled as they watched the girls, who interacted as if they'd known each other forever make a beeline for the mall's Starbucks.
Kate was filled with warmth and pride as she watched the girls, their daughters, getting to know one another. Seeing them together gave her a sense of family that was unknown to her. It was a sensation she decided she could get used to. She sighed happily when she felt Castle squeeze her hand; a familiar yet recently missed sensation. Kate couldn't help but think of the night before.
They'd slept together but there hadn't had sex. Instead he simply held her. It was the best sleep Kate had gotten in months, enveloped in the warmth and safety of his embrace. They awoke with their limbs intertwined, his arm warm and heavy around her waist and his body cradling hers. Kate vowed to do whatever it took to ensure that she would never have to wake up any other way than in his arms again.
Her attention was drawn back to Mia and Alexis who soon reappeared with four lattes. She smiled warmly to her daughter, who seemed more at ease with her after their early morning conversation.
"Did you sleep well?" Kate asked, unsure of any other way to start the conversation.
"Yeah. I don't know if I've ever slept in a bed that nice. I fell asleep pretty fast and didn't wake up at all." Mia smiled and added, "it was nice."
"Good." Kate smiled.
"How about you? Did you sleep well?" Mia asked, not intending to push any buttons and unaware of where her mother had slept.
"Yeah, I did. It's been awhile since I've had such a restful night." Kate admitted, although the blush in her cheeks was not lost on Mia.
"So..." Kate changed the subject, knowing that there were more pressing issues to discuss than the previous night's sleeping arrangements.
"So…" Mia echoed. Kate smiled shyly to her daughter, who wore a remarkably similar expression. The detective sighed, took a sip of her coffee, and sat herself next to Mia at the counter.
The teen poured herself a cup and began to mix it as she desired. It wasn't surprising to Kate, but it still struck her as odd for a girl of Mia's age.
"I'm not sure where we start. How about I just say that you can ask me anything." Kate offered. It was quite out of character for her to do so, but she figured that only total transparency would work with her daughter.
"Um…I always thought about what I would ask if I ever got this chance…" Mia began.
"So, you knew you were adopted?" Kate asked, using the opportunity to get the conversation going.
"Yeah. My parents were great. They told me when I was little, but it was never a bad thing. They never made me feel unwanted. They told me that I was adopted because I was meant to be their little girl." She paused and thought of the people she'd lost. "They always told me that I was picked to be theirs." Mia sighed sadly before adding,
"my mom always had a way of explaining things so that I could understand them. She always made me feel special and chosen. Lots of kids in the foster homes I lived in felt like they were there because nobody wanted them. My parents made sure that I never felt like that when they were alive."
The teen grew quiet, adding in a whisper "things changed after they died."
Kate took Mia's hand and squeezed it. "I read that it was a car accident." Her heart broke for the girl in front of her. She couldn't quite understand it, but Kate was filled with the desire to make sure that nobody ever hurt Mia again.
Mia nodded. "Yeah, they were hit by a drunk driver. They never even made it to the hospital. I didn't have any grandparents or anything so there was nowhere for me to go. I was 9."
Kate swallowed back a lump in her throat, "I wish I had known. I could have taken you. I would have loved to have you, Mia."
"I don't want to mess up your life." Mia insisted, not daring to look her newly-found mother in the eye. Although the last thing she wanted was to leave her mother-especially after having searched so long, it was hard to open herself up. She'd been hurt; She'd been rejected and thrown out like garbage one too many times. Mia wasn't sure she could bear it if her own true mother did the same.
"Mia." Kate began, "You will not mess my life up. Please, let me explain…"
Kate did just that, explaining everything to Mia. She spent a good part of the next hour telling her daughter about Johanna Beckett, as well as everything that happened after her death. The young girl felt somewhat guilty and saddened. She felt kindred with her mother. Afterall, they both experienced the death of a parent and that was something that could only be understood by those who'd experienced it. It wasn't something she would ever wish on another person, but she was glad that Kate understood. The teen was quite conflicted.
When their conversation came to an end Mia understood that Kate had no way of knowing anything about her, that Kate had only done what she thought was best for her, and that she would never have been unwanted. It was with these thoughts that Mia smiled, greeting Richard Castle as he made his entrance into the kitchen.
There were still plenty of pressing questions on the girl's mind, but they could wait until another time.
It was dinner before the next round of questions began. Alexis had an exam to prepare for and wished them well before leaving for the night. She'd left Mia with an assortment of her old clothes. Although the young girl wouldn't admit it, she was more excited to have Alexis' used things than she was the new items in the bags upstairs. Being able to wear the redhead's hand-me-downs filled Mia with a long-missed sense of belonging. It felt like family.
Mia sat at the table, looking at the adults sitting across from her; eyeing Kate Beckett and her partner.
"So. Do you have any other children?" The question was directed at Kate, but could easily have been interpreted as one for the pair of them.
"No." Kate answered, "I never found the time to settle down."
"Do you want to?" Mia followed up.
Kate nodded, "someday, with the right man…yes, I would." She smiled at her daughter, who seemed satisfied with the answer. Kate couldn't help but meet Castle's eyes, and the two seemed to exchange an entire conversation in silence. Mia broke their connection as she pressed on.
"Do you have any other family? " She asked next, wondering if she had grandparents.
"My dad lives in Soho." Kate responded, "and he's going to be quite surprised when he learns about you."
"You mean you didn't tell him?" Mia pressed in curiosity. She knew that Kate had hidden her pregnancy when she was a teen, but figured that the truth would had come out at some point.
"No. After he was sober he seemed to intent on moving forward. I was afraid…" Kate paused, unsure how to continue her sentence. Castle reached out to take her hand and squeezed it supportively. The detective gave a thankful smile to the writer.
"I just thought it might hurt him, especially because I had no way of finding you." Kate finally explained.
Mia nodded, eyeing the pair across from her. "So, you two are together?" She asked them, eyeing their joined hands.
"That is a long story, but yes." Castle offered, gauging Kate's reaction. Beckett smiled and squeezed his hand, glad to know that they were back on solid ground. She was filled with an indescribable warmth, it was familiar and had been very missed.
"A longer story than how I came into existence?" Mia asked incredulously, causing Kate to laugh out loud. She certainly had inherited her mother's bluntness. The detective was glad that they were able to discuss these things with such ease.
"Believe it or not, yes." Castle insisted, rubbing his thumb back and forth against the back of Kate's hand. She smiled and blushed, nodding her head in agreement with him. It was pretty complicated afterall.
They cleaned up the dining room and made their way to the living room. Although the plan had been to watch a movie, the three of them wound up talking again.
"Mia, tomorrow I would like you to come to work with me. We need your help getting Tony, the man who hired the bartender who killed your friend." Kate began, placing her hand on Mia's shoulder to offer support.
The teen looked meaningfully at Beckett. Mia understood the importance of moving forward with the case, of finding justice for Sara and in making sure that she, Amber and Emmanuella were safe. Emmanuella. Mia thought, feeling guilty for not insisting to see the younger girl sooner.
"If you come in tomorrow you'll see her. I'll make sure of it." Kate promised. Somehow able to follow her daughter's train of thought.
Mia nodded and it was settled. Tomorrow they would once again face the reality of all that had transpired and with any luck it would take them one step closer to finally bringing safety and stability into their lives once again.
