"Laser tag? Castle, I've had NYPD-certified gun training. I don't think I need to be taught how to play a simple game like laser tag."
"A simple game?," Castle gasped, putting his hand on his heart. "Kate, my sweet yet naïve love, let me explain something to you –" He paused and looked around to make sure no one was listening, then closed his office door. "- there is a complex strategy you need to know to succeed in laser tag. And since I have only 4 months to beat Alexis at a game we've been playing since she was a toddler. I need you on my side. Please, Kate?" He pouted, using his puppy dog face.
Kate just smiled and rolled her eyes. "Afraid an 18-year-old girl is going to beat you, Castle?"
He didn't answer, just pouted some more, his hands clasped together like he was praying. After a couple seconds, she threw her hands up in the air and sighed. "Ok, why not?"
3 hours later, Kate had still not perfected what Castle called "the surprise corner attack." At least, not according to him.
"Kate, honey, your footsteps need to be silent. Think: light as a feather!"
Kate put down her laser gun and sighed. "Rick…"
He frowned. "No, Kate, c'mon! You're so close!"
She took his hand and led him to sit on the bed with her. She looked deep into his eyes.
"Why don't we talk about what's really going on here?"
Castle looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"You're not ready to lose her."
Castle stared at the floor and didn't respond. After a few seconds, he rubbed his temples with his free hand and sighed. Then he looked back up at Kate.
"She's my little girl. It's always been me and her. Sure, there was Meredith, but as soon as Alexis was just more than a cute baby to show off, she was done with motherhood. And Gina and Alexis got along, but they were never very mother-daughter-like. I raised her, and in a few months….. I just don't know what it's like to be without her, Kate. I'm going to miss her so much. You're right, I don't want to lose my baby girl."
Kate pulled Rick into her arms and kissed his hair.
"She's only going to Columbia, Rick. She'll be close to home, and she loves you as much as you love her. And you'll have me."
"She's maybe going to Columbia. She still might end up at Oxford, or Stanford. But it won't be the same, even if she is still in the city. We won't live in the same house. No more sharing breakfast, or doing school projects together."
"At least Martha will still be around," Kate offered. Rick snorted and rolled his eyes.
"Great."
Kate squeezed him. "Honey, it's going to be okay." She pressed her forehead up against his. "And who knows, maybe in a few years will have a kid of our own…." She trailed off and smiled playfully. He grinned eagerly and kissed her.
"You mean it?"
She nodded, and kissed him back. He wrapped his arms around her and pushed her down on the bed, their kisses escalating. He pulled her shirt off and placed kisses all over her chest. She moaned happily, but then pushed him off.
"I didn't mean right now, silly!"
He pouted, and took her shirt off the bed, holding it behind his back.
"Fine. But you won't be getting this back from me anytime soon."
Kate crossed her arms over her gray lace bra. "Okay. I have nothing wrong with leaving the house like this. It'll put me in the good graces of some of your male neighbors."
Rick tossed the white v-neck tee to her almost immediately, mock-sighing as she slipped it over her head. She laughed and grabbed his hand, dragging him off the bed.
"C'mon, we need to get some air."
Kate and Rick dressed for the chilly February weather, putting on sweaters over their t-shirts and coats over their sweaters. Rick wound a scarf around Kate's neck and kissed her on the nose before knotting his own scarf, and then they slipped on their shoes. Rick left a note for Alexis saying that hey were going for a walk, and under it Kate left her own note saying that when they got back, she would take Alexis shopping. The only thing left were their gloves, and once they both had on their warmest ones, they got in the elevator and exited Rick's warm, comfy building to brave the cold New York air. Rick wound his arm around Kate's and clasped her hand, and she grinned. She had never been in such a loving, cutesy relationship, where every moment felt like it belong in a romantic comedy or on the cover of a greeting card. And as clichéd as it was, she liked it.
Neither of them could go much further than 2 blocks without coffee, so they stopped in a Starbucks. While they were waiting for their grande coffees, Rick was telling Kate about Gina's demanding deadline, and how she wanted 5 more chapters by the middle of next week.
"Let me know if you need some inspiration," Kate whispered in his ear, her hot breath tickling his skin. He tried to play it cool, and was about to reply with something equally as sultry, when a woman behind him exclaimed, "Rick Castle? "
He turned around and saw the women waving her hands excitedly. "Oh, you're just my favorite author! I was reading about your upcoming book tour the other day… I just love your work!"
He smiled kindly. "Well thank you. It means so much to me that fans like you take the time to tell me such nice things."
The woman was beyond flustered. "I just can't believe I'm meeting you! Will you sign my book?"
She pulled a paperback copy of Heat Wave out of her purse, and handed it to Castle, along with a pen, her hands shaking with excitement. He smiled and signed it, asking "Who should I make it out to?"
Kate stifled a snort behind her hand, turning away to pick up their coffees. When she returned to where Rick and the fan were standing, she handed him his coffee. He kissed her on the cheek and said, "Thanks honey." The excited fan stopped her monologue about Derrick Storm and whispered loudly, "Oh, are you Nikki Heat?"
Kate faked a half-smile, and Rick could tell she uncomfortable. He gracefully ended the conversation by saying, "No, but Nikki will be making appearances with me all over the country in a few weeks in a new adventure, Frozen Heat. It was nice to meet you."
He ushered Kate out of the coffee shop, and they walked another 2 blocks in silence before Kate asked, "Are all the fans you meet on book tours like that?"
Rick laughed. "No, most are a bit more subdued. I think it's because they're nervous. And a few are crazier – I remember I used to sign a lot of –" He stopped midsentence. "But that was a while ago. Things are different now."
Kate nodded and sipped her coffee. "Mmmhhm."
They walked to through Central Park and got lunch at a small café on their way back to the loft. Rick had a hamburger, and Kate had a grilled cheese with tomato soup. They talked all the way through lunch about Kate's latest case at the Precinct, and just to humor Rick, Kate let him tell her about more Laser Tag strategies. But in the back of her mind, the thought of Rick's crazy female fans refused to go away. Maybe she should accompany him, like he suggested. At least for part of it.
When they were in the elevator, she blurted out, "I want to come on the book tour."
Rick's eyes widened in surprise, and she rushed to explain. "I mean, the California part. I don't know how, but I'll get the time off. I have a lot of vacation days. And plus, I don't really want to be away from your for more than a few weeks."
He smiled and pulled her into his arms. "I like hearing you say that."
She bit her lip. "It's true. I love you, Rick Castle, and I don't want to be away from you."
He wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her passionately, backing her up against the elevator wall. The elevator stopped at their floor, and he undid her scarf clumsily, kissing her again and again, only stopping for air when he needed it. She managed to unlock the door in the midst of their heated makeout, and they tumbled into the apartment, kicking their shoes off and pulling off their coats. Rick pulled Kate over to the couch and on top of him, moving his hands up and down her back. She buried her face in his neck, kissing his hair and his ear and his shoulders. He was about to pull her sweater off when they heard footsteps on the stairs, pulling them out of their romantic reverie.
Kate leapt off of Rick and smoothed her hair just as Alexis reached the downstairs, her red hair tumbling down her shoulders.
"Hey dad! Kate!"
"Hey Alexis," Kate said, winking at Rick. "When do you want to go shopping?"
Alexis walked into the kitchen and poured coffee into a travel mug, adding some milk. "Whenever you're ready."
Kate grabbed her purse from the coffee table where she had tossed it and jumped up from the couch. She hated to leave after they had just gotten back, but she needed some space from Rick, or she would rip his clothes off right there on the couch.
"I'm ready to go now!" She collected her boots from the bottom of the stairs, and her coat from the railing, hoping Alexis didn't notice that their clothes were scattered all over the room. She didn't. She just grinned and slipped on a pale pink peacoat, then picked up her brown leather purse. "Great!"
Alexis ran over to the couch and kissed Rick on the cheek. He looked very confused and out of it, and a little sad. He also had that look on his face that only Kate recognized: the desperate need for a cold shower.
"Bye pumpkin," he murmured, staring at the wall. Alexis laughed.
"Did you just get some inspiration?"
"Yep!," he said, jumping off the couch and running into his office. "Bye Kate, love you! Don't spend all my money, Alexis!"
Kate and Alexis laughed, and Kate shouted back, "Love you too!"
Half an hour later, Kate and Alexis were in the Topshop in Soho, looking at racks of dresses. Kate scanned the party dresses, with mixed reviews.
"Okay, let's establish our rules."
Alexis made a face at a black dress with more cutouts than fabric. "Good idea. One: no major cutouts."
Kate laughed. "Two: if a stripper would wear it, it's a no."
"Three: it has to be longer than my underwear."
They giggled and Kate pulled out a deep green lace dress with a heart cutout in the back. "Does this count as a major cutout?"
Alexis grinned. "No! I love it!" Kate handed her the dress and they continued to flip through the racks. They ended up with 6 dresses: the green lace one, a white fit-and-flare velvet dress, a black and white floral printed dress with ¾-length sleeves, a royal blue strapless dress with a bow top, a loose floral tank dress that would need a belt, and a raspberry long-sleeve dress with small cutouts at the hips.
Kate sat on the bench in the dressing room, waiting to see Alexis's first dress, when she got a text from Rick:
Having fun? ;) Don't empty my bank account!
She bit her lip and typed back with a smile:
Oops. I don't think the marble bust of your face and the matching Ferraris are returnable. Oh, and the 8 Chanel gowns. And the Louboutins…
"Ta da!"
Alexis stepped out in the raspberry dress and struck a model pose. "What do you think?"
Kate was stunned at the young woman in front of her. She looked so grown up... and a little sexy.
"You look pretty awesome," Kate admitted. "Does it fit?"
"Yeah. It feels a little short, but other than that…"
"Well, the color looks great on you. I'd say it's definitely a finalist."
Alexis smiled. "Me too. Okay, blue strapless next!"
She closed the dressing room curtain, just as a woman of about forty, probably someone's mother, walked past. She turned to Kate and said, "Shopping with your daughter is such a great bonding experience, isn't it? Mine won't talk to me half the time, but all I have to do is take her shopping and suddenly we have a billion things to talk about. They're only with you for so long, you know? Gotta make it last."
Kate faked a smile and nodded. "Yep." She hoped the woman would get the message and leave, but she didn't.
"You must have been pretty young when you had her. Or is she your stepdaughter?"
"Umm," Kate bit her lip. She was saved by a girl yelling, "Mom!" from the other end of the dressing room. The woman laughed and said to Kate, "Nice to meet you," then yelled back, "Coming, Ashley!"
Kate was left feeling like she had been hit by a bus. What just happened? She barely had time to process the comversation when Alexis came out in the blue dress, holding the top to her chest.
"Can you zip this up?"
Kate nodded and stood up, putting one hand on Alexis's back and pulling the zipper up with the other. She did the tiny clasp at the top, and Alexis swung around.
"It's a little tight."
Kate nodded and looked at the dress. "Yeah. And the material isn't all that great, now that we're in better lighting."
"Okay, now the green lace!," Alexis exclaimed, turning around for Kate to unzip her. Once she did, Alexis skipped back into the dressing room.
15 minute later, they were down to 2 finalists: the green lace dress and the raspberry-colored long-sleeve dress. Alexis held up the green dress.
"Pros: the color looks good on me, I love the material, the heart cutout is really cute. Cons: it's a little too short for the end of February, the cutout is awkwardly placed, so I can't wear a bra."
Kate looked thoughtful. "Those are good. I think the raspberry one looks great on you, is the perfect length, and is good for the weather."
"Raspberry with cutouts it is!," Alexis said cheerfully.
After they bought the dress, Kate and Alexis decided to get dinner instead of see a movie. Alexis picked the Johnny Rockets three blocks from the loft, so that's where they went. While Kate and Alexis sipped their milkshakes (strawberry for Kate, vanilla for Alexis), Alexis looked around at the walls and smiled.
"My dad and I used to come here every Friday after I got out of school."
"Really?"
"Yeah, when I was in elementary school He would pick me up, and we'd come straight here. He'd tell me the G-rated version of what he his latest book was about, and I'd read him the menu and tell him what I did in school. Then we would plan our weekend – movies, laser tag, ice skating. This was before Gina and after my mom, so it was just us."
Kate smiled. "That's really sweet. You know, when I first met your dad, I thought he was a total womanizer. But after a while, I realized that he was a wonderful and loving father. That there was more than him that meets the eye."
Alexis nodded. "He's always looked out for me. When I was younger, he did a good job of protecting me from the media and all the crazy fans who wanted their chests signed. He was always my daddy. The only thing that made him different from my friends' dads was that he read stories better."
Kate laughed. "He is a fantastic storyteller."
Alexis looked Kate in the eye and her tone turned serious. "Kate, my dad loves you more than anything in the world. Just so you know, I'm glad you gave him a chance four years ago. He needed someone like you in his life."
Kate's face softened. "Thanks, Alexis. I didn't realize it at the time, but I needed him too. Roy knew it, though. He made me work with him when I didn't want to…" She trailed off, feeing the pain in her heart she always felt when she thought of Roy Montgomery. Alexis was quiet. Finally, Kate broke the silence.
"I love your dad very much, Alexis. And I promise, I will take very good care of him when you go away to college." She reached over the table and took Alexis's hand, squeezing it.
Alexis smiled softly, looking at Kate. "Thank you, Kate. But promise me you'll take care of yourself, too, okay? I know you where having a hard time a few months ago, and you don't have to tell me what was going on, but it sounded bad."
Kate nodded. "I will. And you take care of yourself at college! Don't drink…don't have sex with strange boys, blah blah blah…," She blushed. "I don't really know how to this… give motherly advice. "
Alexis grinned. "It's okay. You know me, I wouldn't do anything immature or reckless."
"Well, try to have some fun. Be young while you can! Just don't go too wild…."
Alexis laughed. "Got it."
The waiter came and they ordered their food. While they waited, they talked about lots of things. Where Alexis's friends were going to college, the silly pranks Kate pulled on Ryan and Esposito, favorite music, embarrassing stories about Rick… Kate felt a sense of nostalgia for her own mother, but not in a sad way. In a happy way. Spending time with Alexis made Kate feel like she wasn't damaged, like after everything she had been through, she could still be important to someone. She could still be loved.
What do you think? I always feel like I write Alexis a bit OOC... Anyway, please leave your feedback! is Alexis too OOC? Are Rick & Kate too lovey-dovey? Are they not lovey-dovey enough? :)