she looked up, tears finally falling down her face as she thanked with every fibre of her being, with everything she had... that the blue eyes of Richard Castle were looking back at her.
Lanie Parish was devastated... her best friend in hospital after rushing away from the words the M.E herself as said. She'd pushed too far.. perhaps Kate wasn't ready like Lanie had hoped she'd be. Maybe she had more wounds hidden so very deep that it took more than a few hugs and the understanding of a best friend to help heal. But as the raven haired woman burst through the door, she was surprised with the sight of her supposedly broken best friend...holding... clinging to the hand of a one very available writer. Well..well..well, talk about getting some sense knocked into a person... literally. The pair were too engrossed in each other to even notice an addition to the room, too lost in the language of their eyes to care that their friends were watching them. But the simultaneous throat clearing of the two detectives and Lanie herself got their attention... encouraged a healthy blush from both of them as well. "Hey Kate.. how are you?" Lanie moved toward her side and touched her arm carefully, not knowing of any injuries just yet. And then she noticed the tears, some left unshed in her eyes but there were obvious tracts cutting down the soft planes of her face. "What's wrong... what happened?" Kate doesn't cry... at least in front of people... she never lets herself get vulnerable. First with the hand holding and now tears? This must've been some accident.
"Nothing... I'm fine" the brunette replied touching her cheeks gingerly as she tried to lessen the attention on herself. "It wasn't a serious accident Lanie, don't worry.. I just lost some blood. But Mya was able to get to me before anything serious could have happened". Kate shrugged and gave her best friend a small smile.
"Uhhuh..." Lanie regarded the rest of the room for answers.. "And is any one going to tell me who in the world is 'Mya'?"
"Well... she just happens to be the very charismatic 19 year old girl who just entered the room", replied the very same 19 year old now clutching 3 coffee cups as she beamed at Lanie. She moved a fraction and the hot liquid spilt on her fingers. "It's okay guys really... I don't need help or anything..Im good" she glared at the two male detectives and Castle as they looked dumbfounded at her before sheepishly moving to help her with their beverages. "I just went for a coffee run.. which fortunately for you Detective Beckett, you do not have to suffer through because of the anaesthesia still running through your system", leaning closely she replied in a mock whisper "It's the hospital kind... like a monkey peed in battery acid" and Castle laughed in the background; obviously some previous joke attached to the familiar comment. She laughed with him and nudged on his arm whispering incoherent phrases as they chortled.
"Yea... so who's Mya?" Lanie asked, mostly for the benefit of Kate who was smiling at the adorable scene.
"She's... she's Castle's daughter".
Lanie widened her eyes and regarded the teenager once more . Castles daughter? "Well her mother must be damn fine" she said as she took in this new information.
'SEE!' Kate smirked to herself 'It's not only me!'... wait... why would she care...oh yea... that's right.. She doesn't. And then the story hit her again, peeling away at her heart as the familiarity of it rung once more. Lanie noticed this quick change in her friend's demeanour. "Hey... what is it?"
Shaking her head Kate knew that the time wasn't right... not yet at least to once again experience another murder that was so very close to home. "Nothing.." she looked up at Mya and watched the girl smile; dimple flashing and eyes crinkling as she spoke. She was too young to have wounds on her skin, too young to be marred; and yet no one knew of the internal scars that probably bled every day. Sighing she caught Castle's attention, which wasn't surprising ; no matter how distracted her was, he was too consumed by her- too wrapped up in all that she was to miss anything. He smiled good naturedly in her direction as though he knew that even from afar, she needed a bit of warmth to help the ache now in her chest. He moved toward her side, his proximity already doing wonders as he told Lanie the details of the accident. She gave Kate's wound an approving nod.
"Girl, where did you learn to stitch like that?" she asked regarding Mya, who simply grinned.
"Well basically living with the Castles for a better part of your life... you tend to pick up a few things, stitching wounds included." then she winked at Rick. "Not to mention fire safety... trust me..if you need to know how to correctly exit a building during a fire.. I'm your girl".
"We only needed that information like once" Castle countered as the boys snickered
"Yea well we wouldn't need it at all if you didn't think that exploding skulls INSIDE the house for Halloween was a good idea."
he gave her a death glare. "You've made your point Stevens"
"Stevens?" Lanie asked confused "I thought she was your daughter..." She looked from Rick to Mya trying to identify any similarities in their features. But before they could answer her however the door of room was opened and a familiar pair of redheads entered with concern on their face.
"Detective Beckett!... Oh my God are you okay... dad said you were in an accident and we got here as fast as we could" the youngest Castle rattled of heading straight for the bed where her father and Kate were sitting. "You had stitches?.. Dad! you didn't tell me she was hurt!" Kate was touched by Alexis's concern as father and daughter talked in fast whispers.
"Hey Alexis.. Martha.. I'm okay" Kate shrugged and laughed at their sceptical faces. "Really.. I'm fine"
"Darling we're thankful that it wasn't anything serious... but hospitals never give us the incentive to be calm.. especially after..." Martha tactfully stopped talking, but everyone else heard the unspoken 'your shooting' that reverberated. And Kate recognised the awkward silence as everyone looked nervously around avoiding each other's gazes. If it hadn't been for the sudden flash of pain that the word shooting caused to ripple across her chest, she would've laughed at the awkwardness of it all... she almost did anyways.
"Yea.. well trust me I'm good... stitched up an everything" she said gingerly lifting up her arm. Still the repercussions of what was left unsaid echoed and Kate wished heavily that someone would break the uncomfortable silence still in the room. Thank God for the young girl whom not for the first time today, came to her rescue.
"I still can't believe they haven't noticed I'm here yet.." Mya said out loud to Rick and watched as her favourite redheads turned to her in unison, mouths gaping as they blinked several times. Alexis moved forward first, slowly as though she didn't trust that her eyes were telling her the truth.
"Akka?" she said in a small voice and moved closer to her
"Hey baby girl" Mya replied and smiled, her dimple deeper than they knew possible. She stroked her sisters soft hair waiting for her to catch up. And then she did, in a sudden flash of emotion and she was hugger the older girl with all her strength as they both jumped up and down with excitement.
"Oh my God! you're actually here!" she exclaimed as they faced each other, arms still wrapped around their waists. "For how long?"
"Forever!" Rick said as the girls embraced again, moving around in circles as they laughed in delight; Alexis now and then shouting the words forever. And then they broke apart, still gasping from the reunion as Castle eyed them suspiciously. "Are you crying?" He asked smirking slightly as they turned to glare at him.
"It's called HAPPINESS dad!" they both said together as though rehearsed and then laughed out of sheer silliness, their happiness so infectious that the rest of the room laughed with them. Then the mocha girl moved to the older Castle and exclaimed suddenly "GRAM CRACKER!... mm..mm..mmmm looking ffiiinnee" and they laughed heartily as the hugged.
"What are you doing here cookie?" Martha asked breathlessly as she held the grandchild she hadn't seen in three years, running her fingers through her curls as though trying to memorise its shape.
"I was on my way to the loft from my new house when Detective Beckett and I ran into each other... literally" she said as she looked at Kate apologetically. "But I'm fine, just a couple of scratches" she shrugged and wrapped her arms around Alexis and relished at the comfort of her younger sibling. "Jesus Lex you really have to stop growing..." and then she looked at the girl properly and added, "And while you're at it, you need to stop being so beautiful... you're starting to give me a complex" she grinned good naturedly and hugged her tighter. The three years seeming so much longer now when she realised how much she'd missed her family.
"She can't help being good looking" Castle replied immediately "it's in the genes". Kate scoffed at that and said with laughter in her voice "Yea right Castle" .
He regarded her with an arched eyebrow, his blue eyes turning into liquid heat as he stared her down. "You don't think I'm good looking Kate?" What was she supposed to say to that? Yes... GOD YES with his dusty hair and expressive eyes. DAMN HIS EYES. And his smell that made her shiver. DAMN HIM. She couldn't say that could she? No... it would be considered improper... what with her colleagues let alone his family watching them. He moved closer and his hot breath tickled her neck slowly. Damn him to hell.
"uuhhhhh" she said nervously
"Andd... that's our cue" Mya said out loud trying to save Kate the embarrassment of answering. 'Seriously' Kate thought to herself 'I need to get her like a gift basket or something'. The two girls and Martha left the room, with snippets of a safer topic being echoed across the detectives; the current information on their case. But throughout the talk, the form of a famous, good smelling author decided to sit on the bed; so close that Kate could feel the heat emanating from his body. Dammit. Richard. Castle.
"Okay so what is up with that?" Mya cornered the younger redhead as Martha went for coffee. They had been waiting outside for Rick and had laughed and reminisced, barely going a minute without touching another's hand or playing with ones hair. Martha had entertained Mya with her acting stories and they revelled in the comfort of it, the three of them sitting together just like they used to.
Alexis immediately knew what she was referring to without even the extra knowledge of knowing her better than anyone. "Oh Dad and Detective Beckett?" Mya nodding encouragingly "Welcome to your first experience of the torture we have been experiencing for about 3 years now."
"Wow.. so that's what it's like huh... ? I mean you explained it on the phone... but that was something.."
"Tell me about it" Alexis said rolling her eyes. " It's so obvious they belong together... just GET ON WITH IT"
Mya nodded and then looked at her sister with an evil glint in her eyes. "I think it's time Lex" Alexis looked up, encountered her mischievous glance and grinned wickedly herself.
"Really"
"Ohhh yeaa"
"Plan?"
Mya gripped her hand and winked "Plan."
Lanie exited the room long before the others, having given her information already but getting sick by the adorableness of Castle and Beckett as they began to build theory. 'Honestly' Lanie thought to herself 'Somebody needs a smack in order to shake their senses '. She began walking to the seats until she heard the exclaim of one Alexis Castle... something about getting on with it? Huh... She moved closer and listened to their words. Plan! Oh this could be good. She coughed to alert them of her presence as they began getting lost in their world of mischief.
"Dr Parish!" Alexis looked at her startled and then innocently tried to cover up her surprise.. "Hi".
"Lanie Parish" the raven haired woman regarded Mya, "Medical examiner and best friend of one Kate Beckett... and whatever you guys are cooking..." she looked at them as they waited for the reprimanding glare. "I want in". Grinning Mya shook her hand and replied
"Mya Stevens, Author and best friend slash fake daughter of one Richard Castle... welcome aboard" the three woman grinned at each other as they discussed certain tactics to aid their task.
"Finally we can help get them somewhere in this partnership of theirs... maybe turn the eye-sex into real sex" Both younger girls groaned at that
"too far Lanie... too many details for such young minds" Mya said as she winced
Lanie stared at her blankly.. "Please girl... I was 19 once" Mya blushed and avoided eye contact ".. all I'm saying is that my girl need some Castle loving... soon"
"Nope... just no.." Alexis shuddered " for the future of this plan there will be no mention on 'Castle loving' or please GOD FORBID 'riding the Rick Stick" (she visibly greens at that one) when I am around...deal?" They nodded as Lanie snickered at the last one... she'd have to tell Kate- watch her blush for a couple of hours at that.
But it was on... it was time. Plan ready to be initiated. 'Oh Castle and Beckett' Lanie smiled to herself 'Be ready'.
Hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter ensures lots of humour... and Caskett. Oh and "Akka" is pronounced Uk-ka and means Big sister in tamil... but more on that later :)