Previously on Storm Clouds

"So you will come tonight?" he asked eagerly.

"No. I'll need to go home and pack a few things. Shower and eat, it's been a long day and I don't know if it would be safe for me to drive tonight."

"I could send a car for you."

"Umm."

"I'm sorry if I sound so pushy. When I got off the phone, Alexis came in and asked who I was talking to. When I said it was you, she perked up a bit. She actually spoke and asked how you were going and when we might be seeing you next. I didn't want to say anything in case you couldn't come. It would be great if you could be here when she wakes up. Kind of like a nice surprise. She told me she was going to bed early; she has been doing that a lot. What kid wants to go to bed early?"

"Okay. Can you give me an hour before sending the car? It should give me time for me to get organized."

Richard Castle rolled over in bed and looked at the clock on his bedside table. He sat up to double check the time. 6:30. In the morning! He laid back down and groaned. The only time he liked to see 6:30 am was when he had stayed up all night writing. If he was up at 6:30, it meant he would need a nanna nap later in the day. Or worse, go to bed early. He did not go to bed early. As far as he was concerned, going to bed early meant you were old and he was not old. Old meant going and getting a prostate check done. That was not the way he wanted to get up close and personal with a camera.

Castle flung back the covers and got up out of bed. There were three reasons for being in bed and they all started with S. Sleep, sick and sex. He was getting none of them. Although, his throat was sore. Maybe he should get some fresh air and sunshine. He walked over to the French doors and opened the curtains. After blinking a few times, he blindly reached for the handles and opened the doors. Suddenly the beautiful sea breeze was blowing over his body. He took a few steps out onto the balcony. There was something about a nice breeze that made him feel free. He loved the way it could blow the cobwebs out of his brain. The cool air made him want to run faster than he ever had before. Looking down at the beach, it seemed like someone else had the same idea.

There was a lone runner on the beach. Taking a closer look, he realised it was Beckett. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Unlike other runners he had seen on the beach the last few weeks, Beckett was modestly dressed. ¾ leggings and a fitted singlet didn't detract from how good she looked. If anything, he preferred that she was covered up. He always liked a mystery. There was something hypnotic about watching her running down the beach. She appeared so strong and agile. To think he had felt guilty for making her come up last night. When he answered the door she looked exhausted, so he had quickly showed her to her room. He hadn't expected her to be up so early considering it was her day off. Another thing he was feeling guilty about.

He wasn't sure what possessed him to call Beckett last night. Perhaps it was seeing Alexis not eat another meal and then walk off, pulling her shorts up because they were loose. It surprised him that Beckett even agreed to come. He hated having the disadvantage on the phone of not being able to pull his puppy dog look. It seemed it wasn't needed. He was sure when she said she would call him back that she was going to say no. That she had spoken to her Captain and couldn't get the time off. He would have understood too. It was a lot to ask. Hey, I'm a guy who was accused of murder, but will you come and see my daughter?

In the short time he spent with her, he could tell there was more to her than met the eye. When they first met and she started being nice to him, he just figured she was pulling the good cop bad cop routine with Detective Slaughter. Well, the incredibly hot and sexy cop, I'm a big jerk cop routine. Even when she had left the interrogation room, he was sure she was going to use what he had told her and twist it somehow. When she had re-entered the room, uncuffed him, and allowed him to be with his daughter, he started to think differently. He was taken out of the interrogation room and was introduced to Captain Montgomery. It was then he learned of Beckett's dedication into to finding the real killer and her taking over the case. Alexis had also told him how nice she had been.

Gratitude had been the reason for staying behind to wait for Beckett to return to the precinct. Most people only did something for him because they wanted something in return. She hadn't. The offer of her home for the night had been even more of a surprise. While he had been waiting for her to return, he had listened to the scuttlebutt around the precinct. Detective Slaughter had referred to her as 'That Bitch Beckett' but he was the only one. Bad Ass Beckett had been thrown around a few times, but it seemed to be due to admiration. Beckett went after a suspect as if her life depended on it, and he guess in a way it did. All lives were at risk while there was a murderer running around. He wondered if it was because her mother's killer was never caught.

Castle hoped she didn't think he was using guilt to get her to come and see his daughter. She had lost her mother and so had his daughter. He wasn't sure if she had come through the ordeal okay. There was so much hidden behind her eyes. She kept a lot of things hidden. While sitting at her desk, he noticed there weren't any family pictures. A quick rummage through her desk revealed none either. He had tried not to snoop when he had entered her home. It was a generous offer from someone he had already figured out liked to keep her private life home had few personal items. There was a picture of a young Beckett with who he naturally assumed were her parents on a dresser in her bedroom. He had seen it there when he had tucked his daughter in. Apart from that, the only other personal touch were her bookshelves full of books. No little knickknacks or photographs crammed in-between. Nope, it seemed his novels and a few other authors he'd rather not name or be associated with were as personal as she was going to get.

Yet she had invited him in, which was why he thought she might help now. He watched as Beckett turned and made her way back to his home. She was staying for at least three days: more than what he expected, and he was grateful for every second she was willing to spend with his daughter. Beckett didn't slow her pace until she made it all the way to the deck of his home. He watched as she stretched her muscles out and felt one of his own muscles twitch. That had been the last thing on his mind and it had been for several months. Maybe having Beckett here would be good for him, too. Castle stepped off the balcony and walked back into his room. It was time for him to have a shower and be a good host. Although, perhaps a few sit-ups were in order first.

Beckett slipped the last hash brown out of the pan and onto the spare plate. She hoped they tasted okay. It had been ages since she had made them. It was a pretty simply recipe. Grate potato into a bowl with one chopped up scallion and salt and pepper to taste. Pan fry them with a little bit of olive oil and you were done. Simple but delicious. Beckett turned back to the stove and flipped a pancake. The bacon was sizzling along nicely and all she had to do was cook the scrambled eggs. In home economics she had been taught to use a saucepan to cook the eggs. She preferred to use a frying pan. Castle only had three so she had to wait until she finished the hash browns before she could start the eggs.

Pouring the egg mixture into the pan, she looked over the other pans of food. Was she over doing it? She normally didn't eat this much for breakfast. Well, she didn't normally eat breakfast at all but this was no longer about her. As much as she enjoyed running on the beach, and would have loved to have been out there longer, she was here for Alexis. Castle was worried about his daughter and Beckett hoped she could help.

It had been late when she had arrived last night. Alexis had been asleep so she didn't have a chance to fully assess the situation. Castle had shown her to her room, but spent a few minutes filling her in on what had been going on. Not since the day they found out about Meredith had Alexis shed a tear. Eating, talking and smiling had been absent from her life, too. It was normal, she was grieving. Beckett was no expert, but she was going to do what she could. It may help Alexis to talk to someone other than her father. By the sounds of it, apart from Castle's family he had no real friends. Beckett supposed Alexis had girlfriends, but maybe she couldn't share this with them. At least she hadn't been able to do it.

Wishing she were an octopus, Beckett quickly removed all the pans from the stove and deposited the various foods on their plates. The food was all ready. She covered the plates for now, but would leave it all in the oven later. Beckett hoped the smell of the food would eventually entice Alexis out of her room.

"Dad. You aren't making a smorelette are you? You threw up last time."

Beckett smiled as she looked up and saw a pyjama-clad Alexis walk into the kitchen, rubbing her half open eyes. For someone who wasn't talking, she was sure talking more than she expected. Maybe Castle was just overreacting as a father.

"Hi Alexis. Did you sleep well?"

The young woman looked up at her in surprise.

"Detective Beckett. What are you doing here?"

Beckett bit her lip. Castle didn't want his daughter to know he had called her so they had come up with a lie. Beckett wasn't happy about lying to his daughter, but she was worried if Alexis knew the real reason, she would retreat further.

"Your Dad called me at the precinct last night. He wanted to organise a thank you for me and my partners. Something big and outlandish, but I told him it wasn't necessary. It's not really appropriate for us to accept gifts. So he mentioned you two were spending some time at the beach and asked if I was interested in joining you. I hope you don't mind. I initially said no, but the idea of spending time at the beach was to tempting. I spoke to my Captain to see if I could get the time off. It's been ages since I have had a decent break from work, and he was more than willing to let me go. I came up last night. I hope that's okay with you, because if it not I can leave"

Alexis shook her head. "No it's fine. It's nice here, I like it. It's peaceful."

Beckett nodded. "Yeah it is. I just came back from a run. It's really beautiful out there."

"Are you eating all of this food?"

Beckett shook her head.

"No I..."

"Do I smell bacon?" Castle asked as he entered the kitchen.

Beckett turned to look at the man who had entered and gulped. He was wearing a basic round neck t shirt and a pair of jean shorts. His hair was wet and his skin looked a little damp. She could smell what had to be the most intoxicating scent she had ever smelt. Was it his aftershave, his soap? Right now she didn't care. His scent combined with his casual attire was doing things to her body it had no right to be doing.

"Yeah, I raided your fridge. I hope you don't mind."

Castle laughed. "Mind you cooking? I don't think so. There looks like enough to feed an army. I'm assuming you cooked for us too." He looked at her hopefully.

Beckett nodded. "Yeah. Grab a plate." She indicated the plates sitting on the bench. She had decided not to set the table, unsure on when the two Castles would be up. Lifting the covers off the food, she turned to the fridge to grab orange juice. Alexis would probably need the vitamin C.

"Bacon, pancakes, eggs, hash browns," Castle announced in delight. "Did we have hash browns in the freezer?"

"No, I made them," Beckett told them. She poured three glasses of juice and pushed one towards Alexis.

"You made them?" Castle asked as he forked one onto his plate.

Beckett nodded. "Yeah. They're actually pretty easy to make. My Mom showed me how to make them."

"Your Mom?" a surprised Alexis asked.

Beckett watched as Castle looked at his daughter, then at her.

"Yeah. My mom worked late a lot, so we never really had family dinners. What we did have was Sunday breakfasts. She would make up a big feast just like this. Sometimes she made grilled tomatoes, these really buttery mushrooms and fried up spinach with garlic and onions. It was amazing."

"It's not Sunday." Alexis told her.

Beckett smiled. "I know. It's just I don't get much a chance to make a big breakfast like this for anyone. It was a nice gesture inviting me here, even though thanks weren't necessary. I figured making you guys breakfast was the least I could do."

"But doesn't it hurt?" Alexis asked.

Beckett pretended not to know what Alexis was talking about and starting piling food onto her plate. She put way too much on there but hoped Alexis would notice and start doing the same.

"Does what hurt?"

"Making breakfast like your mom used to do."

Beckett shrugged. "It took me a few years to even look at a hash brown. Then I knocked over some boxes one day and found pictures of my family having breakfast one Christmas morning. It wasn't just about the food: it was about spending time together. A few years ago I surprised my Dad on Father's Day with breakfast. The eggs were so runny because we were crying so much but in the end we started laughing. We started remembering the good times. Like when my Mom burned everything because she got so engrossed in a Richarrrr. In a book."

"A Richarrrr book?" Castle questioned.

Beckett bit her lip. "My Mom was a fan of yours. She really wanted to know who the killer was and forgot about the food."

Castle smiled at her. "Well, I'm sorry for that. This hash brown is incredible. No book of mine is worth burning a meal like this over. Don't you think, Alexis?"

Beckett looked at the plate in front of Alexis. It was still bare.

"Why don't we sit at the table instead? My legs are killing me after my run."

Beckett picked up her plate as well as the one containing the pancakes. She took it to the table and turned around to grab the rest of the food. Castle had taken a plate as well as his own and joined her. Beckett looked at Alexis. The young woman looked at her empty plate then at a plate of bacon sitting in front of her. She grabbed both pates and took them to the table. The three of them quickly transferred all the food to the table and sat down.

Beckett tried not to watch as Alexis put one slice of bacon and a pancake on her plate. Castle had said she was eating, but not a lot.

"Try a hash brown, Alexis. They're her favourite," Castle told Beckett.

Beckett watched as Alexis hesitantly reached forward and put a hash brown on her plate. She seemed to be eyeing it off for a second before cutting a piece of with the side of her fork. Alexis almost nervously put the piece into her mouth and started chewing. Her eyelids closed and Alexis smiled a little.

"These are really nice."

Beckett bit her lip and shared a secret smile with the author sitting to her right.

"I'm glad you like them. I can show you how to make them tomorrow morning if you like."

Alexis frowned. "But isn't it your mothers recipe?"

Beckett nodded. "Yeah, but it's no big secret."

"It doesn't hurt to talk about your Mom, share things about her?"

Beckett sighed. It was clear the young woman was in a lot of pain.

"It makes me sad that she isn't here, but I know my mom would want me to be happy. Sharing her recipe with you would make me happy. I am passing on her legacy and memories of her to someone else."

Alexis seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding and then adding some eggs to her plate.

Sorry for the delay. Love yas