A/N: For starters, this chapter is not my usual fluff that comes from this story, but I felt it was necessary at this point in time, so I hope you still like it even though it isn't my norm. Also, this chapter is a bit more dialogue heavy then usual.
Secondly, sorry it took so long for this chapter, but this chapter really didnt want to be written. I wrote a piece of it and couldnt get the stuff to go around that piece for the longest time.
Thirdly, HUGE thank you to Andriana for talking through this chapter with me and even suggesting the ending.
Lastly, HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! to everyone who is celebrating today.
Disclaimer: I do not own the show, and that is probably a really good thing considering how fluffy this story is in comparison to the actual show. I also do not own any of the characters (except Chloe) nor do I make any money off of this story.
In the two weeks that had passes since the last movie night, Kate had had two awful cases that had had her in a foul mood. However, Kate was hoping to get rid of some of that bad mood with the latest movie night with the Castles. In an attempt to help make the night more fun, Kate had even brought some snacks with her.
After knocking on the front door, Kate was greeted by a solemn Rick as he slowly opened the door in an eerie fashion.
"Miss Alexis requests your presence in my office" Rick announced in his best impression of a creepy butler.
Leaning in towards Kate, Rick conspiratorially whispered, "I think she is planning on asking what your intentions are."
As he leaned away he grabbed Kate's arm and gently pulled her into the apartment and lead her towards his office, grabbing the snacks and her purse and jacket as he gently shoved her through the office doorway.
Walking into Rick's office, Kate was immediately confronted by a serious Alexis seated in the chair behind the very solid wood desk.
"Please have a seat." Alexis told Kate without preamble. "You seem like a really nice and really fun person, but I know you are a fan of my dad's writing and I need to know your intentions, your reasoning for spending so much time with Chloe, my dad and myself. Because, if you are just using Chloe and me to get to my dad, you need to understand that that is not going to work and it would be better for everyone if you just ended the charade now and walked away."
Although Kate had been prepared for the 'what are your intentions' conversation with Alexis, she was unprepared for the approach that Alexis took with it and because of that, Kate ended up plopping heavily into the chair on the side of the desk opposite Alexis. Leaning back into the chair she had sat down in, Kate carefully contemplated the best way to respond.
"I have a high stress job. I think that is something that is important for you to understand before I can really get you to understand my actions. When I met you that night in the bookstore, I intended to buy my book, go home and take a relaxing bubble bath with a glass of wine and to some extent that is what I really wanted. However, after the ice cream, I realized something. I realized that I was more relaxed then I had felt in a long time. I also felt more wanted, and dare I say it, loved then I have in a while. That may not be how you guys saw it, but it has been a long time since anyone just accepted me like that. It was nice not to have the pressure on me and to just be me for a while. That being said, I don't know what my intentions are. I just know I like hanging out with your family. Do you get what I am saying?"
"So…you are saying that you were not using us to get to our dad, but you are using us as a stress reliever? How is that any better? You are still using us. We are not objects. Chloe is getting really attached to you and all you see her as is a convenient way to relieve your stress so you can do your job. If that is really all you see us as, I think you need to stop accepting invitations and just cut it off quickly because Chloe does not need that kind of heartbreak, and neither does my dad."
"What about you?" Kate immediately asked.
"What about me?"
"Do you think you deserve to have your heart broken like that? You mentioned Chloe and you mentioned your dad, but you didn't say anything about yourself."
"You can't get your heart broken if you don't get attached."
Hearing that, Kate couldn't help but sit up a little straighter and make as if to reach around the desk to touch Alexis, to comfort her.
"No! Don't come closer!" Alexis declared as she scooted back farther into the chair she was sitting in.
Heeding this, Kate leaned back into her chair to hear Alexis out.
"My dad and Chloe love too quickly and too deeply, but if I have learned anything over the years it is that getting attached only leads to heartache. I have my mother and my ex-stepmother, Gina, to thank for this knowledge." Alexis said in answer to Kate's unspoken question. "With both my mother and Gina, I grew attached and each time I did, they left me, abandoned me, leaving me heartbroken. After Gina, I swore to never get attached again. Even now, while I love my mother, I don't get too attached because I expect her to leave me at every turn, and she never fails in that one expectation I have of her."
With that, Alexis leaned back in her chair and waited for Kate to make the next move.
After thinking about what Alexis had said, Kate asked, "Does the fact that we are having this conversation at this point in time mean that you yourself are starting to get attached and want to head this off before that happens and you get heartbroken?"
"No! Wait, what do you mean by 'this point in time'?"
"I mean, if this was all about your father and Chloe, you would have had this conversation after ice cream or after the zoo, instead, we are having it now, a month later, which leads me to believe that you yourself are getting attached" Kate gently stated. "Alexis, I don't know exactly what I feel for you, your dad and Chloe, but I do know that being with you, spending time with you has changed me. For the better, I think. You guys make me feel almost alive again. I know I care for you and don't want anything to happen to you, and I promise that I would never intentionally hurt you guys, but I cannot say anything beyond that. I hope that that is enough for you, but if it is not I will leave you now so that I don't hurt you. I don't want you to hurt because of me, so say the word and I will leave now and promise to leave you and your family alone."
After several moments of silence, Kate started to feel anxious and began to get up to leave, thinking that it would be for the best if she left then.
"Kate, please don't go." Alexis softly whispered so quietly that Kate barely heard her.
As Kate sat back down, Alexis quietly asked, "What did you mean by 'you guys make me feel almost alive again'? Did something happen?"
With a heavy sigh, Kate leaned back into the chair and tried to figure out how best to answer that question.
"When I was just a little older than you, nineteen, my mother was murdered. For the longest time I blamed her. I took her murder as her abandoning me and my father when we still needed her. After a while, I stopped blaming her and being angry at her and decided to try and catch her killer. However, I became so involved in the case that I lost all sense of myself and what I needed. I lived for the case. When I realized I couldn't solve it, it nearly broke me. I then threw myself into my job and used it as a means of living, but mostly I was not. Meeting you guys helped pull me out of the hole I had been trying to get out of. You guys are helping me live again. That is what I meant by that."
At that, both women leaned back into their chairs to think. After a couple of minutes of silence, Alexis slowly stood up, walked around the desk and gave Kate a hug.
"I am sorry to hear that, Kate. I think you may be right though. I think I am becoming attached and I really don't want to go through that pain again, but I would like you to stay."
Before anything more could be said Chloe suddenly burst into the room.
"Come on you guys! It's movie night. You can't sit in here all night. Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"
"All right, Chloe, we are coming now. If you go find your dad, you and he can start setting up the treats I bought and the movie. We will be out in a minute." Kate said.
"We should probably get out there before Chloe or your dad breaks something or they drag us out of here." Kate said turning to Alexis. "But, are we okay?"
"Yeah, Kate, I think we are okay. Now, let's go see what they have set up for us tonight."
With one final hug, they both got up and headed towards the door to enjoy their movie night.
A/N part deux: I am starting to run low on ideas, or maybe I have just not been inspired lately, so if you have any ideas for interactions you would like to see feel free to leave a review. If I use it, I will be sure to credit you for your idea. Once again, I have no idea when the next chapter will be up, but thank you so much for reading this.