A/N: You guys are awesome. That's all I have to say.

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Someone Like You

Chapter 20

"Hey, where are you going?"

Kate turned around, startled, and found Rick leaning against the doorsill, holding two coffee mugs that smelled absolutely heavenly. She smiled at him and threw on a jeans jacket, her hair cascading over her shoulders. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she wondered if it was time to get a haircut. Shaking those thoughts away, she turned back to him and walked over to where he had set the mugs on her nightstand. Picking hers up, she took a sip, reveling in the feeling of the caffeine entering her system.

"I'm going to go visit my mom." She finally answered his question quietly and bit her lip.

It was Mother's Day. This year, it also coincided with her mother's birthday, which made today twice more painful than it usually was. Going to visit her mother's grave had become a tradition. It was one of the few times of the year that she walked through that cemetery and faced the pain and grief that accompanied her since that fateful January night ten years ago.

"Do you want me to go with you?" he asked, taking her hand in his and giving it a light squeeze. She shook her head and took another sip of coffee, before putting the mug back on the nightstand.

"I need to do this on my own." She squeezed his hand back and smiled weakly at him, running a hand through his messy hair. "Are you staying or going back to the loft?"

"Up to you." He leaned in and touched her lips with his in a sweet kiss. They had taken the kids out to dinner the night before and ended up crashing in her apartment. Alexis was probably still sleeping on the air bed they had set up in Tyler's room.

"Did you have any plans for today?" she asked, leaning into him, and sighed when his arms wrapped around her waist.

"Dinner with mother tonight. We can hang around here or maybe you can meet us at the loft later if you want? I can take Ty with us." He tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her nose.

"Text me with whatever you guys decide?" she pulled back to look at him and touched his cheek. "I won't be long. Couple of hours at most."

"You got it." He nodded and she stepped out of his embrace. Before she could go any further, however, he grabbed her hand and turned her back around. "And Kate? Happy Mother's Day." He captured her lips with his in a deep kiss that had her moaning against him in surprise and delight. She kissed him back enthusiastically and that pain in her chest she had been feeling since she had woken up today eased up just a little.

"Thanks." She murmured when they pulled apart for oxygen. "You guys behave." She pecked him on the corner of his mouth. "I'll see you soon. Love you." She kissed his jaw and this time he let her go.

Grabbing her purse, she left her bedroom and found Tyler and Alexis camped out in front of the TV, watching cartoons. Making a detour to the couch, she kissed them both good morning and was rewarded with a bear hug from both of them.

"Happy Mother's Day, mom." Tyler grinned at her and kissed her cheek.

Alexis wished her the same, but Kate noticed her enthusiasm was a little more subdued than her son's. She sat on the couch for a moment and pulled the girl in for a hug. She knew Alexis probably disliked Mother's Day since she didn't have her mom around. The girl hugged her back tightly and Kate felt her heart break for her.

"We'll hang out later, okay? Just us girls." She whispered in her ear and felt Alexis nodding on her shoulder. "Ty, Rick is staying with you guys while I go out for a bit, alright?" she turned back to her son, who had snuck out of the room while she was hugging Alexis and was now returning with a small wrapped package in his hands."

"We got you a present." He said happily. "Rick helped me pick it out, but it's from all three of us." His smile was infectious when he handed her the present and he looked on apprehensively as she opened it.

It was a jewelry box and inside there was silver bracelet with three delicate strands holding a heart. She took it out of the box, touched, and read the words engraved on the heart. It said "I love you" on one side and "Best mom ever" on the other. Kate looked up and found Tyler looking at her expectantly, holding his breath.

"It's beautiful, baby. I love it." She pulled him to her and hugged him tightly. "Help me put it on?" She asked and he nodded excitedly. As he focused on the task at hand, she looked up again and found Rick smiling at her, leaning against the wall near the hallway that led to her bedroom. "Thank you." She mouthed to him and he nodded, winking at her.

"There, I got it." Tyler exclaimed and Kate looked down at the bracelet on her right wrist. "It looks beautiful on you, mom. Right, Lexi?" He turned to the redheaded girl who had been watching the exchange quietly. "She helped pick it out too." Tyler told Kate and she smiled at Alexis, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Well, thank you. To all three of you. I really, really loved it." She said and stood up. "I'll be back soon, okay?" The kids nodded and she made her way to where Rick was standing. "Thank you." She whispered and kissed him briefly. "Really." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her again.

"I'm glad you liked it." He said against her neck, placing open mouthed kissed on her skin. "Go see your mom. We'll see you soon."

She gave him one last peck on the lips and stepped away from his embrace, grabbing her keys on her way to the door.

The drive to the cemetery was fast and, as she walked through the tombstones on the now familiar path to her mother's final resting place, she realized she felt a lot lighter than she had ever felt coming here. The grief and the pain and that hollow feeling in her heart were all still there and she doubted they would ever go away, but they had been somewhat toned down this year. As she approached her mother's grave, she kneeled down and placed the colorful flowers she had picked up on her way over. Her mom had always loved flowers and she always used to say that the more colorful they were the better. With a sigh, Kate traced her name with her finger and allowed that painful, hollow feeling of despair and how much she missed her mom take her over for a moment. The tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she remembered all the good times, every Mother's Day she had spent with her, helping her cook, picking out her present with her dad, every birthday. It hurt, but she felt better remembering her that way and tried to let the happiness that she had felt then seep into her heart now.

"Hi, mom. Happy birthday. And happy Mother's Day." She finally managed to say, brushing away her tears with the back of her hand. "I miss you." She whispered as she sat down on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest. "I wish you could be here with us. You should see how big Tyler is, mom. He is almost 9 already. Can you believe it? He's growing up so fast." She shook her head in wonder. Biting her lip, she continued. "I think I found my one and done, mom. I know I said the same thing about Josh back then, but this time is different. He is different and I love him, mom. So much." She rested her chin on her knees and let out a sigh. "His name is Richard Castle. He is a writer and such a wonderful father to his little girl. We met earlier this year in January. On your anniversary. Tyler broke his arm at school and was taken to the hospital. That's why I didn't come to see you. I'm sorry about that." She was quiet for a moment, lost in the memories of that day. "Rick was there with Alexis. That's his daughter. The kids immediately hit it off and I guess we did too. He loves me, mom. He really, really does and he is so good with Ty. I really wish you were still here. I bet you'd love him." She kept talking for a few more minutes as it eased the pain in her heart. The tears slowly came to a stop and she checked her watch. She had already been there talking to her mother for two hours. "I have to go." She traced her name again and gritted her teeth to keep a fresh wave of tears at bay. "I miss you so much. And I love you from here to the end of the universe." She whispered with tearful smile, remembering her own mother's voice telling her that when she was a just a little girl.

Standing up, she brushed the dirt from her jeans and looked back at her mother's grave one more time, before making her way out of the cemetery. Getting into her car, she texted Rick to know where they were. Not even a minute passed when his reply appeared on her screen.

We're on our way to the loft. See you there?

She smiled at the prospect of spending the rest of the day with her favorite people in the world and quickly texted him back.

On my way there right now. See you in a few.

Twenty minutes later, she was knocking on Rick's door and could already hear laughter coming from the loft. Alexis opened the door for her with a smile and threw herself at her in a fierce hug. Kate was startled at the sudden impact on her body, but hugged her back, kissing her flaming red hair.

"Everything okay, Lexi?" she asked, picking the girl up in her arms. Alexis wrapped her legs around her waist and arms around Kate's neck.

"I'm just glad you're here." She whispered and Kate pulled back to look at her, concerned.

"Are you sure?" she asked, but Alexis just rested her head on her shoulder and nodded.

Still not convinced, but willing to let it go for now, she entered the loft and closed the door behind her. She found Rick looking at them with a tender expression and gave him a small smile and a questioning look. When he mouthed "Meredith", Kate pieced Alexis' sudden change of mood together and hugged her tighter, pressing a kiss to her temple. Making her way to the living room, she found Tyler completely engrossed in the game he was playing, his fingers flying on the wireless controller. Smiling at the scene, she sat down on the couch with Alexis on her lap and kissed his temple. He threw a smile in her direction and focused on the game again.

"I was going to make us some lunch. Anything in particular you're craving?" Rick asked her, leaning down to kiss her lips.

"Whatever you decide is fine with me." She told him and held onto his hand before he could leave. Nodding to Alexis, she raised her eyebrows questioningly. They had an entire conversation without words and Rick nodded in the end with a small smile, kissing her again and running his hand through Alexis' hair before making his way to the kitchen. "Hey, Lexi? Want to go take a walk? It's a beautiful day outside." She suggested to the red haired girl still curled up in her lap.

"Sure. Sounds great, Kate." She replied, crawling off of her lap. Kate smiled at her and held out her hand for the girl to take. Alexis immediately took her hand with a smile.

"Ty, will you be okay here while I go out with Alexis?" She asked and the boy nodded.

"Sure, mom. You girls have fun." He said, eyes glued to the TV in front of him. "Oh, and bring ice cream?" He called out after them.

"Yes, my lord." She teased him and led Alexis to the door. "We'll be back soon, boys. Behave." She smiled at Rick, who grinned back at her from the kitchen.

Leaving the loft, they were quiet for a few minutes. Kate decided that she would not pressure Alexis and would just wait for her to be ready to talk about what was on her mind. Leading them to a nearby park, she pointed out a few flowers to the girl, asking her opinion on them. They talked about her school and how she was excited for the summer to start. When they reached a bench, Kate suggested that they should sit down for a while.

"I called mom today." Alexis finally said after a few minutes. Kate looked down at her and pushed her red hair behind her ear.

"Yeah?" she said encouragingly.

"I wanted to wish her a happy mother's day." She sighed and Kate wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "And I asked her how come she wasn't here to spend it with me." She continued quietly, biting on her lip. Kate waited for her to elaborate, her heart already in pieces for Alexis for what she was certain was yet another disappointment. "She said she had to work and that she had gotten a really great role in a movie. Then I said I wanted to spend today with her cause she was my mom and asked if she didn't want to be with me too. She only said she couldn't miss this movie opportunity." She finished looking down and Kate closed her eyes for a moment, her hands squeezing the girl's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. How could that woman do something like this to this amazing little girl?

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm sure she'll make it up to you." She pressed a kiss to the girl's temple, but Alexis shook her head, her little hand coming up to brush a stray tear away.

"That's just the thing, Kate. She keeps saying she'll make it up to me and she never does. It's like…" She took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "It's like she forgets I even exist, you know? She didn't even know what today was when I called her. How could she forget? How could she forget about me?" She whispered and Kate touched her chin, making her look up at her, and brushed her tears away with her thumbs.

"She is just busy, Lexi. But I am sure she loves you very, very much and she didn't mean to forget." She said, having a hard time to find the right words to comfort the girl without saying what a completely awful person she thought Meredith was.

"I wish she was like you. You're such a great mom to Ty. He is so lucky. I wish I had a mom like you, Kate." She confessed and Kate felt touched by it.

"You have an amazing dad too, Alexis. And I know he loves you so much and will do anything to see you happy." She pulled Alexis into a hug, the girl settling on her lap with her head tucked against her neck.

"I wish you could be my mom too." She whispered and Kate closed her eyes, feeling like something was squeezing her heart tightly. "But I know I shouldn't wish that because I already have a mom and there are so many kids out there who don't even have that." Kate was quiet for a moment, waiting for the knot in her throat to dissolve.

"I can't replace your mom, sweetie. Bu for what it's worth, Lex, you can always count on me as your friend. If you ever need anything, even if it's just to play or talk like now, you can come to me. Alright?" She pulled back to look at her and brushed her tears away.

"Alright." She murmured and rested her head on Kate's shoulder again.

They stayed there for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. As the sun peaked through the clouds, Kate hoped she had done the right thing by making Alexis that kind of promise.

"Hey, Rick?" Tyler appeared next to him and he looked down, offering the kid a smile.

He was in the process of making Chicken Alfredo and looked back at the stove where he was stirring the sauce in a pan.

"What's up, little man? You done with your game?" he asked as Tyler nodded and climbed on a stool by the kitchen island.

"I, um…" He hesitated and Rick looked at him curiously, tasting the sauce and deeming it ready, before turning off the stove. "If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell mom? I don't want her to worry."

That got Rick's attention and he sat down next to Tyler, genuinely afraid of what was making the usually easygoing kid so serious and concerned.

"You got it, Ty. What is it?"

"No, you have to promise, Rick. Do you promise not to tell my mom?" He insisted and Rick nodded, knowing that if it was something really serious he would have to break his promise and tell Kate either way.

"Cross my heart." He offered his pinky finger to Tyler and the boy linked it to his, cementing Rick's promise.

"Okay." Tyler took a deep breath and Rick waited apprehensively. "Do you remember I called you a couple of months ago cause mom was crying? And she was crying because she had met a man that had hurt her really bad?"

"I do, yeah." Rick said, already dreading what the boy would say next.

"Well, I saw that guy again." He bit his lip, making him look even more like his mother.

"Where did you see him, Tyler?" Rick asked, concerned and Tyler looked up at him.

"Outside my school a couple of times this past week." He said and Rick sucked in a deep breath, knowing this was not good at all. Before he could get more information out of him, however, he heard the door opening and Kate and Alexis entering the loft. "Rick, you promised. Don't tell her." The boy said and slipped off the stool, running to his mother.

What was he supposed to do now?

A/N: Thoughts?