Love Lives
Chapter 3
Thank you so much for your subscriptions:) On to chapter three, spoilers for Season two "Boom"
Disclaimer: I hold no claim to the cast of Castle but I am thinking of a little plan to 'borrow' them for a few days, anyone in?
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'Family' Day Out
Richard and Alexis Castle & Kate Beckett
Well it appears that Kate Beckett has become well and truly acquainted with the Castles. It seems that the Castles and Kate spent a busy day shopping for new furniture, for an addition to Rick's loft maybe? Before being pictured enjoying a meal together in the fabulous "Frentiani's", earlier in the week and this isn't the first time we've seen Kate getting close to Alexis Castle. Recently they were snapped out dress shopping, a job which usually falls to a mother or in Alexis' case her Grandmother, Broadway legend, Martha Rodgers but it seems she's found a new shopping companion in the form of her father's -rumoured to be- girlfriend. Now Rickard Castle isn't the type of father to let just any girlfriend go shopping with his daughter, so what is so special about Kate Beckett? Then again, getting the daughter's seal of approval, goes pretty far in the girlfriend book and with reports claiming she's staying with them, no wonder they look so happy.
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She threw the magazine on the table in disgust, as she took a long, calming drink of her mug of coffee, quickly growing cold.
"So what did that magazine ever do to you?" Martha Rodgers asked, her eyes dancing in amusement at Kate's behaviour towards the magazine.
She jumped in surprise, her eyes darting to the woman that entered the kitchen area "Martha, what are you doing back so early?"
"Oh, you know, have to keep an air of mystery about myself" she winked and moved to sit beside her.
"So tell me, dear, how are you?"
"Well I'm good, all things considering" she looked down in to her coffee mug.
"and you do know, you're welcome here as long as you want?"
She laughed good naturedly "Oh yeah, Castle has made that fact very clear"
"Well he means well, plus if your apartment ever blows up again, god forbid, at least you'll always have a place here" she took Kate's hands in her own, almost as if a mother would to a daughter in distress.
That's when the fear started settling in, like fire rising up through her veins. Not from Martha's comfort but at how much she realised she liked 'living' with them, she felt loved, safe even.
Sensing the older woman's worried look, she pushed the fear aside, painting a slight smile on her face
"Thanks Martha"
She waved her off with flair of her hand and glanced back at the open magazine "So, what's with the magazine?"
She gave a deep sigh and tapped her finger over the article "Oh that's what this is?" she asked.
"Let me guess, you think Alexis thinks that you're spending time with her to get closer to Richard?"
"Well I wouldn't blame her, I mean god knows how many woman has probably tried" she rambled.
"Look Kiddo, Alexis is well aware of the women in Richard's life that try and get close to her but you know what Detective, it's because of those women that she can see that you are spending time with her, for her"
"How can you be so sure?"
"Oh Darling that's easy, because she knows that you don't have to spend time with her to get to Richard as you already have him" she patted her arm lovingly and left Kate in sitting in shock as she moved to leave but bumped in to a very disorientated Richard Castle.
"Mother!" he exclaimed.
"Good morning, Richard, I'm just picking up some things, I'll see you two later" she left the room, with the flair of drama that he had obviously inherited.
"Detective" he smiled warmly, moving to the coffee maker, she just mirrored his smile in response.
Grabbing his coffee, he sat opposite her and immediately noticed the article lying open; his smile dimmed "You saw that, huh?"
"Yeah" she shrugged half-heartedly and his eyes met hers in surprise
"and you're okay with that?"
"I'm not thrilled with it, obviously" he nodded slowly, still trying to understand why she wasn't shouting at him
"But?" he prompted.
"But, I've realised that the press are going to print anything they want, true or not and me getting upset over it, isn't going to do anything"
His only response to that was a smile, he knew what she was doing, trying to pass it off as 'not a big deal' but to him, it was a start.
"Plus as long as Alexis knows I'm not just using her as an excuse to get to you, I think that's all that matters"
"You don't have to, you know" he added softly
"Don't have to what?"
"Spend time with her" he stared deep in to his mug "I mean I don't expect you to"
Noticing her silence, his head shot up, seeing nothing but hurt swimming in her eyes and he hastily continued "but don't get me wrong I love that you spend time with her but I just don't want you to feel obligated.
"Castle, do you honestly think I would hang out with Alexis because you wanted me to?" she chided.
He shook his head, a hint of a smile lingering and the tension in the room slowly simmered down. The silence lengethed and it making her worried, so she contnued
"I mean, if anything, I'm using you to get to Alexis, she's a great kid and I love spending time with her" she teased, falling back in to the normal banter.
He chuckled in almost relief over his mishap "You know, I might actually feel offended if I hadn't have realised that she's half me, so technically you love spending time with half of me"
"Sorry to burst your bubble Castle but I'm pretty sure I love spending time with the half that isn't you"
"So the Meredith side?"
A grimace was the only answer he got.
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