"...And the first room on the left is the guest room, so, now...well, now it's your room," Rick says as he and Kate finish showing Ruby the loft.
On their way home from the precinct, the trio had made a pit stop at Ruby's father's apartment and the girl packed up a duffle with clothes, a few books, and other essentials. Rick had wondered if it might have been better for them to spend the night at Ruby's home instead of taking her away to a strange place, but the girl insisted that a change in scenery was what she needed. When she drifted off to sleep after only a few minutes of climbing into bed, he figured she must have been utterly exhausted after such a grueling, devastating day. Even if just for the night, he was happy to have her there with them in the loft and to be able to provide her with a warm, safe place to rest.
"I'm just saying, Kate," Rick says as the couple peels off their outfits and slip into their pajamas. "It's a little bit weird how nonchalant she seems about her father's death."
"She's not being nonchalant, she's still processing, babe," Kate tells him. "You know that people react to the death of a loved one in all sorts of ways. Reality probably hasn't quite hit her yet. I was sort of the same way when I first heard about my mom. It didn't feel real, so I told myself it wasn't."
"I get that, I do," Rick sighs. "It's just a bit jarring to see someone joking and laughing like it's not one of the worst days of her life."
"Yes, she's young, but remember, she's been through that kind of pain before with her mom," Kate reminds him. "Just be prepared for the crash."
"The crash?"
"When she finally decides to stop being brave," Kate says. "When she wakes up and realizes that it's not just a terrible dream."
As the couple brushed their teeth, they stared ahead contemplatively in their vanity mirror. Kate wrestled with the professional guilt of overstepping by bringing Ruby home and questioning if she only did it because she sees her past in Ruby's current situation. Rick wondered if they were in way over their heads, if he was ready to be a father figure again, if he was equipped to handle the impending crash that Kate was warning him about.
"Was this too rash?" He asks after they'd both finished their dental hygiene routine. "Bringing her here?"
"We are a much better option than the alternative, Rick," Kate says. "Rash or not, I know that this is the right thing to do."
"Think so?"
"Know so, don't you?"
Rick hesitates and really thinks before shrugging is. "You're right. It is. I think it's just hard to believe that she has no family, no one, that she can be with."
"I know," Kate sighs. "I'm going to talk to Ruby tomorrow to see if she wants me to see about her staying with a friend from school, or something."
"Good idea," Rick says. The couple grabs their respective corner of their comforter and peel it back so they can climb into bed. They wrap themselves in the warm blankets and Kate nestles herself into to Rick's body as she did each night. Rick's arm instinctively pulls her in closer and their body warmth radiates through the crisp bedroom air on the cold winter night. "Oh, I called Maddie, by the way. On my way to the precinct."
"Oh, right. Our reservation," Kate sighs. "Hope you're not too upset. I kind of forgot."
"Not upset at all. Couldn't imagine a better change of plans," Rick says. "Plus, she said we can reschedule our reservation anytime we'd like."
"Wow, really?"
"Yeah, I believe her exact words were 'anything for K Bex', so I think she was okay with it," Rick laughs. "How are you doing with everything, today of all days?"
"Hah," Kate chuckles, the irony of the day not lost on her. "Sort of feels like a sign from the universe, doesn't it?"
"How very cosmic of you," Rick jokes. "But, absolutely, it does." He buries his lips in Kate's hair and plants a kiss on the top of her head as they burrow closer, closer, deeper into the bed sheets.
Kate yawns as she speaks again, "does feel like I've been awake for about three days straight, though, so this might just be the soundest sleep of my life. 'Night, babe."
"Sweet dreams, Kate," Rick whispers. "Love you."
"Kate...Kate..."
A hand softly shakes her body and Kate jolts awake, her eyes fly open. "Ruby? Everything okay?"
"Sorry to wake you," Ruby whispers. "I just...I had a dream that woke me up and I couldn't fall back asleep."
Kate glances at the clock on the nightstand and she sees the time. 3:17AM.
"That's okay," Kate says, in her deep, grumbly, just awake voice. "Can I get you some water or a snack?"
"Yeah, a snack, a snack would be nice," the girl whispers. Kate rolls out of bed and walks with Ruby to the kitchen, switching on only the dimmest light above the island to avoid shocking their eyes or waking up Rick.
"Have anything in mind?" Kate asks. "We've got just about anything you can think of."
"Hmm, grilled cheese? If that's not too much work. Or I could do it if you don't want to," Ruby responds.
"No, no," Kate laughs. "I can make you a grilled cheese. That's a great choice. What kind of cheese would you like?"
As Ruby selected a cheddar and Swiss combination, Kate started heating her pan and buttering bread, and a few minutes later, she served up a perfectly cooked grilled cheese.
"This might be the best grilled cheese I've ever had," Ruby says after a few quiet bites.
"Oh yeah? Well, I've made a fair few grilled cheeses. It used to be my favorite late night snack, too," Kate says. "My mom probably made hundreds of them for me when I was young."
"What's your favorite late night snack now?" Ruby asks.
"Hmm?" Kate shrugs, caught a bit off guard, her brain not quite working at waking hours rate.
"You said grilled cheeses used to be your favorite. What's your favorite now?"
"You are sharp, aren't you?" Kate chuckles. "Uh, you'll have to ask Rick about a little creation he calls a s'morelette."
"A s'morelette? What–?"
"You'll have to ask him. But trust me, they grow on you," Kate claims.
"Sounds...interesting. Are your mom's grilled cheeses as good as yours?" Ruby asks.
"I think they were better," Kate says. "She was a great chef."
"Oh...your mom...?"
"She passed away when I was 19," Kate tells her.
"So you get it," Ruby sighs. "What it's like."
"I do," Kate nods.
The two girls sad quietly in the dimly lit kitchen while Ruby finished the last bites of her sandwich. Kate grabbed the empty plate, shook the crumbs into the garbage and then set the plate in the dishwasher.
"Do you think you're ready to go back to sleep?" She asks softly.
Ruby hesitates and then nods, stepping down from the stool in the kitchen and taking a few steps toward the dark staircase. Kate followed closely behind, but the girl stopped in her tracks as she approached the stairs.
"When my mom died, I was sad for a long time, but at least I knew that she was sick, that she died because her cancer killed her. I knew the reason," she says, her voice breaking at the second sentence. "But, now I...you know?"
Ruby breaks down in tears and buries her head into Kate's midsection. Reactively, Kate wraps her arms around the girl's stringy body and pulls her closer to her chest. "I know, Ruby. I know." As the girl quietly sobs, Kate rubs soft circles into back to attempt to soothe her.
"I know exactly how that feels," Kate whispers. "But me and my detectives, we are going to do everything we can to get you that reason. I promise."
"I don't think I can sleep," Ruby admits. "Without a reason."
"Do you want to do something? We can watching a movie, or play a game. Something to distract your mind, maybe?"
"Do you have Matilda?" Ruby asks.
"Oh, of course we do. That's one of Rick's daughter's all time favorite movies," Kate smiles.
"Rick has a daughter?"
"Yeah, her name is Alexis. She's 25 now, but we still watch it at least once a year."
Less than half an hour into the movie, Ruby is curled up asleep on the couch, resting her head in Kate's lap. Not wanting to wake the girl, Kate simply moves the throw pillow behind her neck and closes her eyes as well. She couldn't tell how long they'd been asleep for, but she only wakes again when she feels a strong pair of hands dig into her shoulders and a pair of lips planting kisses on top of her head.
"Hey," she whispers, barely opening her eyes to the fragile daylight.
"You should've woke me up," Castle whispers.
"It was okay," Kate says. "She just wanted a grilled cheese."
"No, I meant, you shouldn't have watched Matilda without me," Rick chuckles as he gestures to the title screen silently looping on the TV. Kate joins him, her sleepiness quickly fading as the room continues to fill with morning sunlight. "Why don't you go back to the bedroom, I can wake you when breakfast is ready."
"It's okay...I'm not that tired," Kate yawns. "Plus, I don't want to wake her. She had a hard night."
Just then, Ruby stirred, turning her head to face the whispering voices. "Kate?"
"'Morning, Ruby, sorry to wake you," Rick whispers.
"It's okay," the girl says groggily. "Can we restart the movie? I fell asleep before we finished it last night."
a/n: thank you for the feedback on the first couple chapters, i greatly appreciate it! from here on out, i'm hoping to publish one, maybe two, chapters per week.