"So, Nevaeh." The young woman started gently, a slightly too happy smile on her face. "My name is Chrissie and I'm going to be talking to you for a bit. Is that okay?" Nevaeh nodded slowly, watching the young woman from Children's Services warily.
Kate and Castle stood in the Break Room, having been asked by Chrissie to allow her to talk to the seven year old alone.
"I don't like this." Kate mumbled, chewing on her hangnail while she watched the muted conversation. Castle sighed, gently placing his hand on her lower back, sweeping his thumb back and forth.
"She'll be alright, Kate. She's five feet away from you and is talking to someone, who has only her best interests at heart." Castle reasoned softly. Kate nodded.
"I know." Castle gently turned her away from the window so she was facing him.
"When are you going to call your dad?" Kate hung her head.
"How do I tell him Rick? How do I tell a man who asks if he's a grandfather yet, every time we talk, that he might have a seven year old?" Castle smirked; he had heard Kate on the phone to her father numerous times, denying vehemently that she would be getting pregnant anytime soon, blushing furiously as she did. He quickly reined it in when he saw the very real distress on her face.
"Slowly. Calmly. This isn't necessarily news to him though, Kate." She shook her head quickly.
"No. If he had known he would have told me, Castle. We may not tell each other everything, but he would tell me if I had a half sister." Castle nodded.
"Okay. Then you proceed with caution. It'll be a shock." Kate nodded absentmindedly, her head turning of its own accord to watch Nevaeh as she spoke to Chrissie, Kate noticed just how hesitant she was being, how tiny she looked in the room by herself.
Castle gently laid his hand on her cheek, between her eye line and the window and softly turned her so she was facing him.
"She's fine." She nodded, sighing to herself.
Castle captured her lips in the softest of kisses.
"Go call your dad, Kate."
"Hi, dad." Kate murmured as she leaned back into her seat. She'd tucked herself into an empty Observation Room knowing that, while she could trust her team to be discrete, this should be a private conversation.
"Katie." Jim Beckett greeted his daughter, the smile quiet evident in his voice. "Didn't expect to hear from you in the middle of the day. You didn't tell me you had the day off." Kate shook her head unconsciously.
"I don't dad, I'm still at the precinct."
"Katie, are you okay? Is there something wrong?" Jim asked worriedly. His daughter was a very busy women, she rarely called during the week just for a chat.
"I'm fine. I promise. But there is something I need to talk to you about." Kate told him gently.
"Is it something to do with Rick? Is he okay? Are you okay, as a couple I mean?" Kate shook her head again.
"No dad, Rick's fine, we're...we're perfect. You don't need to worry about us." Kate smiled to herself. Jim cleared his throat.
"So what is it?" He asked cautiously. Kate took a deep breath before continuing. They were both adults, she could do this.
"Do you remember, back when… just before you got sober?" Kate asked quietly, her eyes slipping closed as she relived that time period in her head.
"Hard to forget that." Kate nodded.
"Yeah." She breathed. "You umm, you met someone. Hannah Tyler?"
"I remember Hannah. I didn't think you liked her very much."
"She's a year younger than me and started sleeping with my dad, how would you feel?" Kate asked harshly, her long repressed feelings on the matter having been shaken loose by her sudden reappearance in her life. She cleared her throat and reined herself in. "Sorry." She mumbled.
"You have every right to feel like that, Katie. It must have been a very confusing time." Kate shook her head; that was an understatement, if she ever did hear one. "I haven't heard that name in a very long time, what's made you bring her up?" Kate took a deep breath in preparation, here comes the hard part.
"Her umm, her daughter came to the precinct today. Apparently Hannah told her if she was ever in trouble, she was to come and ask for me." Kate told him quickly.
"Her daughter?" Jim asked, confusedly.
"Yeah, an adorable little seven year old, Nevaeh." Kate filtered off, not entirely sure how to pose her question.
"Why is she in trouble?" Kate shook her head; trust her father to skip over the bit she wanted to know and go straight for the heart of the issue.
"Hannah's missing." She could almost hear the proverbial cogs whirring in his brain.
"You said daughter, Katie?" Kate nodded before realising he couldn't see her.
"Yeah dad, I did."
"How old?" Kate sighed.
"Seven. I don't know her birthday but she's, seven." Kate told him haltingly.
"So about eight years ago..." Jim left the sentence hanging; they both knew what would have had to happen about eight years ago.
"I know Hannah left in '04 but..."
"Katie, there's something I haven't told you." Jim interrupted. Kate gulped, subconsciously holding onto the bottom of her chair, needing something ground her. "A few months after Hannah left, we met up again..."Jim hesitated, "in a bar." Kate's eyes slammed shut as her hand flew to her mouth.
"Daddy, you promised." Kate choked.
"I know, Sweetie. It was just one day." Kate shook her head, trying to stop his words. She couldn't handle this now.
"So what, you got drunk and screwed her once more for old time's sake?" She asked harshly.
"Katie." Jim implored. "I know you're upset with me right now, but there is no need for that." Jim sighed as Kate sat there, head in hands. "But yes, we did sleep together."
"Great. There's a chance you have another daughter." Kate pressed out around the lump forming in her throat. "I'll umm; I'll talk to you later."
"Katie..."
"Later, dad." With that Kate hung up the phone and shakily laid it beside her before taking several deep breaths.
"Kate?" Castle asked softly, peering around the door even as he knocked.
"You can come in, Castle." Kate told him, not even looking up from where her head was resting on her folded arms on the table top.
"Everything okay?" He asked, crouching beside her, resting his hands on her knees.
"There is every chance that Nevaeh is my half sister." Kate's voice was muffled by her position but he heard her, he always did.
"I take it you aren't thrilled by that?" Kate rolled her head to the side slowly to meet his eye.
"He only did it because he got drunk. A few months after he promised me he'd never take another drink." Castle closed his eyes as he squeezed her knees gently.
"I'm sorry, Kate." She shrugged noncommittally .
"No, I'm fine. I guess one day, in eight years, isn't all that bad. It was just a shock." Castle smiled gently. "Was I in here ages or was there something you wanted?" She asked, running a hand through her hair. Castle caught her hand and kissed her palm.
"Chrissie is in with Gates at the moment, talking about Nevaeh." Kate nodded.
"And Nevaeh?" Castle smiled softly, with just enough paternal concern to make her heart flutter.
"Asleep." Kate smiled warmly. "I thought I'd leave her to it, seems like she's had a rough couple of days." Kate nodded. "Oh, and the boys have something they wanna show you apparently." Kate nodded before standing up.
Castle joined her and she lovingly wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. Castle instinctively held her close.
"It'll all be alright, Kate." He murmured, dropping a kiss to her crown before resting his chin on the top of her head.
Kate nodded; he could always make her believe that.