A/N I had meant to have this up yesterday, but it didn't quite work out. So, here's the next chapter...

The adoption papers were delivered to Castle the following day. He had told Kate that he was going to write. Knowing that she would leave him alone and it would give him time to think. He knew that he wanted to ask her to adopt Alexis. It was important Alexis and it was important to him. He wanted Alexis to feel like she truly belonged to both of them.

So, he decided to talk to her before they went to dinner that night. Wanted to give her some notice so that she would have time to think about it beforehand.

Walking to the bedroom, Castle sat down in bed beside her and smiled when he saw her reading Nikki Heat. He kissed her neck and whispered, "Haven't you gotten tired of reading that yet?"

Kate smiled and shook her head, "I always enjoy the classics."

"Classics?"

She laughed and used her bookmark to save her place. She smiled and kissed him softly. Then, when she noticed the folder in her hand, she asked, "What's that?"

Castle suddenly felt very nervous. He swore that a million butterflies had suddenly taken up residence inside his stomach. He wondered if this was a serious mistake. He smiled and whispered, "I want to ask you something. Something important."

"Okay. It sounds like something serious."

Castle nodded, "It is. And I think you will be happy. At least I hope so."

She laughed at the happy look on his face. She waved the file around and said, "Whatever this is, it obviously makes you happy."

"And I think it will make you happy also. At least I hope it will. Go ahead. Open it."

She had to admit that she was curious about what he wanted to show her. So, she opened the folder and started reading. She got about half way through the papers before she shook her head and whispered, "No..."

"No what?"

"I can't adopt her. She has a mother and she doesn't need me. I..."

"She's always going to need you. She wants this. It was her idea and..."

Kate shook her head, "No Castle."

Castle looked at her and for a moment he wondered if she was joking with him. Then, when he saw the look on her face, he knew that she was serious. So, he reacted in anger and said, "Fine. You don't want to adopt her, then fine. I guess we will always have his and hers kids. At least until we maybe have our own together."

"Wait Castle I..."

"Save it Kate. I'm just glad that I went against my better judgment and asked you now. Instead of asking you in front of my daughter at dinner tonight. Now I can tell her that you don't want her. Just another heartbreak I get to save her from. I thought you were different from Meredith, but it turns out that you're just like her."

He snatched the file out of her hand and turned to walk out of the room. He heard her crying and shook his head. He wasn't going to let her guilt him into turning around and forgiving her. Not this time. This time, she'd managed to hurt not only him, but possibly Alexis and that was something that he couldn't forgive.

He called and canceled their dinner reservations for that night. Then, he went to go get Alexis from school. He was so mad at Kate that he didn't even tell her he was leaving. He just walked out the door and slammed it behind him.

Kate was still crying in the bedroom after Castle left. She heard the door slam behind him and she jumped at the sound. She laid down in bed and let her hand rest on her stomach. Her daughter kicked her softly and she cried even more. Why had she reacted like that when he'd shown her the adoption papers? She wanted him to adopt her daughter, but Alexis was different. Or was she? She was a little girl without a mother. Just like her daughter was a little girl without a father. Both had parents that love them and parents that couldn't or wouldn't love them.

Castle had been so angry at her. She could still hear the words that he had spoken in anger to her. How could he think that she didn't want Alexis? She loved her. Just like he loved her daughter. Hadn't she told her father that she would adopt Alexis in a heartbeat? She thought about what he said about her being like Meredith. Was he right? Was she just like Meredith? Was she a selfish and self-centered woman like Meredith?

She hated that Castle hadn't come back to her when she had been crying, but was it any different from what she had been doing to him. Every time she insulted him or told him that he wasn't allowed to have any say in what she did with her body or her baby. It had to make him think that he wasn't enough for her or her daughter. No, their daughter. She had to stop thinking about the baby as only hers. This little girl that she carried was Castle's baby just as much as hers. Didn't that make Alexis just as much her daughter as Castle's? While it was true that Alexis had a mother, it was also true that her mother didn't want her. Just like the baby she carried wasn't wanted by her father. That certainly made them sisters. If not by blood, then by the circumstances surrounding their remaining parents. Parents that loved each of them like they were their own.

In the end, that was all that should matter. It shouldn't matter how Meredith felt. It should only matter how Alexis, Castle and Kate felt. She wished that Castle was here. She wanted to apologize to him. To tell him that she was wrong and had reacted badly.

She picked up her phone and tried calling him. It rang three times and then went to his voicemail. She knew that he'd sent it there. She could tell that he was very mad at her. She tried to call him again and it went straight to voicemail. Great. Now he had obviously turned off his phone. He was making it perfectly clear that he didn't want to talk to her.

She finally put the phone on her night stand and closed her eyes. She finally got out of bed and then walked to Castle's office. She very rarely went in there. It was his place. His domain. It was his private place. However, she needed to make this right. For him. He was always the one to forgive her in the past. It was time that she even the score. Time that she be the one to apologize to him. For once.

She searched his office and then she saw the papers. He had torn the folder in two and thrown into the trash. It made her heart break into a thousand little pieces. So, she found a roll of tape and proceeded to tape each and every page back together.

She read all the papers again and realized that Meredith didn't have any say in the adoption. Since she had given up all of her rights to Alexis in the divorce, Castle had the right to decide everything in regards to the adoption. Also, should something happen to him, then she would take full custody of Alexis and as such, she would be her mother. Fully and completely. It turns out that it was much more than she thought. She thought it was just for show. It was obvious how wrong she was. He had taken the time to make sure that Alexis would be protected and taken care of in case anything happened to him.

She ran her hands through her hair. God. She was such a fool. She wouldn't blame him if he didn't forgive her this time. It certainly wasn't the first time she had done something to push him away. Maybe she would finally get her wish.

When she got to the end of the papers, she saw her husband's signature at the bottom of the page. She let her fingers trace the letters. She saw his lawyers signature and the place where she needed to sign. She found a pen and signed it immediately. Now, she could only hope that he would find a way to forgive her this time. She hadn't meant to react the way she did. She'd panicked and said all of the wrong things to him.

She left them on his desk and she walked back into their room and heard her phone buzzing. She went over to it and that she had a message from Castle. She smiled sadly and opened it. It read:

Going out to dinner with Alexis. Don't wait up for us.

She typed back to him: Can I meet you?

A few seconds later, his reply came: I don't want to bother you. You made it perfectly clear that you want nothing to do with her.

She sighed and a tear hit the screen of her phone. She typed back: Castle don't. Please. I want to have dinner with you and Alexis. I miss you. Both of you.

Sitting in the restaurant with Alexis, Castle sighed. The place that they were eating at was just down the street from the loft. He and Alexis had been coming here for three years. The owners had children around Alexis' age. In fact, Alexis was currently playing video games with their oldest son. The first thing she'd asked him when he picked her up from school that day was where her mom was.

Castle had told her that she was sleeping. They went to a little bookstore around the corner and had spent a few hours looking at the children's books. After paying for the books, Castle decided to take her to dinner at their favorite pizza place. In actuality, he was hiding. Hiding from Kate and the fight that they'd had. Part of him had been hoping to sneak back into the loft. He didn't want Alexis to hear them fighting.

Kate sent him another text: Fine. I can tell when I'm not wanted. I'll see you when you get home.

Castle finally sent her a text back: We are at our pizza place. Join us?

The next text read: If you're sure I'm not going to be in the way.

Shaking his head, he replied: I wouldn't have told you if I didn't want you here. You and the baby need to eat and...

He thought about his next reply. Then typed it before he could chicken out: Alexis has been asking about you. Please come. Eat with us.

He sent her the address and waited.

Kate typed back: Okay. I'll be there soon. I love you Rick. Always...