Author's Note-It's strange to think that when I started writing this I knew that one day I could be in Kate's position and now I am. Talking to your half brother for the first time is strange. Stranger still when you find out you have a niece you didn't know about. Oh well. Read, review, enjoy, NYLF xx
Kate found Nevaeh stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking a little lost.
"You okay?" She asked gently, coming to stand beside her. Nevaeh shrugged and Kate crouched down, finding herself at roughly the same level as her. "What's up?"
"It's lunch time." Nevaeh whispered cryptically. Kate looked at the watch on her wrist and nodded.
"Yup." She whispered back. "Are you hungry?" Nevaeh shrugged.
"Don't you have to work?" Kate smiled gently before shaking her head.
"Nope. My Captain gave me the afternoon off." Nevaeh tilted her head to the side slightly.
"Like on a ship?" Kate laughed.
"Kind of. She's my boss." Nevaeh nodded. "But she said that I should come spend time with you." The fact that she'd told her to go home after finding her leaning against the back of the elevator basically having a panic attack went unsaid, such young years not needing that bit of information. "So, are you hungry? I could make you something? Maybe something a little more substantial than ice-cream." Nevaeh giggled.
"I liked the sundaes Rick made us." Kate smiled.
"Yeah, he's good at that." Nevaeh nodded eagerly.
"No nuts though." Kate smiled softly.
"Yeah, Rick said something about it being your nickname?" Nevaeh giggled again, the sound doing wonders in lightening the burden on Kate's heart.
"He asked me what I wanted to be called while he was making ice-cream and I told him 'not nuts' because I'm 'llergic, and he thought I meant I wanted to be called that." She shook her head and giggled. "He's silly." Kate chuckled.
"That he is. Come on. You can tell me all about your morning while we make you some lunch." Kate stood and held out her hand to the little girl, holding tightly when Nevaeh linked their fingers, and leading them into the kitchen, either missing or ignoring Rick watching her from the office doorway, pride shining in his smile.
Rick came up behind her and settled his hands around her waist as she cleared up from dinner. They'd played all day with their new edition, doing everything seven year old friendly at their disposal. Now, Nevaeh is sat, fighting sleep valiantly, on the couch after eating her fourth meal of the day; ice cream totally counts.
"I can do this." Castle's voice rumbled through her back, warming her through. "Why don't you get her bathed and into bed?" Kate leaned against his chest.
"This is all so new to me Castle; I forget sometimes you're a dab hand at all this." He chuckled softly against her ear.
"Nowhere near 'dab hand', just done it before. There are bubbles in the guest bathroom, nothing exotic so they should be fine on her skin." Kate smiled. "There might even be a couple of old fairy tales in the bedside cabinet from when Alexis was little."
"I think I may leave bedtime stories to you Castle." He smiled and pressed a kiss to her temple.
"I'll be up to say goodnight to her once I've tidied up down here. Take your time." Kate nodded and turned in the circle of his arms to kiss him quickly before heading over to the couch.
"Hey, Nevaeh?" She asked softly, prompting the little girl to pop her head up. Kate smiled at the pure sleep drifting from her. "Come on." She held out her hand towards her and Nevaeh slowly dragged herself over to take it. "Let's get you bathed and then you can go to bed. Sound good?" Nevaeh nodded, rubbing her tiny fist against her eyes.
"'Kay Kate." She murmured. "Rick?" She asked softly as Kate led her.
"He'll be up to say goodnight." Nevaeh nodded and let herself be taken up the stairs.
Kate swirled the bath one last time and shook the water off her hand before turning back to Nevaeh, sitting patiently on the closed lid of the toilet.
"Ready?" Kate asked. The little girl nodded, making Kate smile. "Come on then." Kate stepped over to her and lifted the nightdress over her head, leaving the pale pink Piglet panties to Nevaeh, before taking her hand, holding her steady as she sank into the water. The moment she was seated, Kate watched as her tiny hand came to slice through the bubbles, fascination plastered across her face. "You look like you've never had a bubble bath before." Nevaeh looked up at her and shook her head.
"I haven't. Me and mama didn't have a bath tub. We had a shower but no baths." Kate smiled softly.
"Well then, we must make up for seven years bubble bath free by making sure every bath you take is filled to the brim with bubbles." Nevaeh giggled, which quickly turned into full blown belly laughs when Kate initiated a bubble fight by blowing a handful at her.
Later, after she'd braided Nevaeh's hair and helped her into clean pyjamas, after Rick had read her bedtime story, Kate curled into his side, breathing in the soft calming scent of him as he stroked lazy patterns across her back.
"She's never had a bubble bath, Rick." Kate murmured softly, still caught up in that. "Alexis had had bubbles baths by seven right?" Rick pressed a kiss to her crown.
"Kate, Alexis had her first bubble bath at a few months old. Even before that I'd take her in with me."
Kate sighed. "I promised her every bath she had here would be filled with bubbles."
Rick smiled in the darkness, holding her closer. "Good."
Kate smiled softly.
They laid in silence for a few minutes.
"What happened today, Kate?"
"What do you mean?"
"You told Navi that Gates gave you the afternoon off. We both know that isn't what happened." Kate sighed, dipping her head just far enough so she didn't have to look him in the eye. All this time later and she still didn't feel entirely comfortable with being so vulnerable in front of him.
"She sent me home." She murmured. Castle gently laid his hand on her hip, thumb stroking slow lines across her skin. "I was just coming back after seeing Lanie and, I may have had a mild panic attack in the elevator." She let out a note of self-deprecating laughter while Castle squeezed her gently.
"Oh Kate."
"She saw me. Didn't ask though so I suppose that's something. She just told me that she'd see me tomorrow. I tried to protest but she just told me to go home." Castle ran his hand across her hip, pressing a kiss to her crown.
"You could have called. I would have sent the car to come get you." Kate shook her head against him.
"I needed the space." Rick nodded. "She's my sister Castle." Castle turned on his side so he could face her.
"You need to phone your dad, let him know that she's his." Kate nodded slowly.
"D'you think we'll find her?" Castle leaned in and kissed her forehead gently.
"We'll work it out either way." Kate nodded and snuggled into him, tucking her head under his chin while he wrapped himself around her. Neither wanted to discuss the sinking feeling they were both feeling deep in their guts.