AN: My first fic. My first "published" writing. I don't own Castle.

Of Mother and Daughter

Alexis sat in her room staring at her laptop with the assignment and list of words on her screen. Choose a relationship from the list below. Define the relationship, then in 500 words compare your own experiences against the definition. The list read: Father, Mother, Sister, Brother, Aunt, Uncle, Grandfather, Grandmother. Alexis ruled out for herself exploring half of these relationships as she didn't have any aunts or uncles or siblings and only the one grandparent. Alexis was very close with her dad and her gram, so those would be too easy. Nodding in determination Alexis made the decision to challenge herself by choosing the option of Mother. She grimaced because she wasn't sure she wanted to know exactly what this paper was going to reveal. She didn't really have what most people would consider an amazing relationship with her mom.But Alexis had always been the sort of person to challenge herself, especially with her academics.

The first part of this assignment was easy, she thought to herself. Define mother. Blowing a piece of her red hair out of her eyes Alexis pulled out her phone and quickly Googled, "Definition of Mother". Selecting Oxford's site she was surprised to see there was a definition of mother as both a noun and a verb. Again proving her need to challenge herself Alexis decided to write her paper including both definitions, which would mean exploring and comparing her relationship with her mom against both noun and verb. She figured the hardest part would be keeping it to the 500 word minimum.

Pulling up her word program on her computer, Alexis began an informal outline comparing her relationship with her mother against the noun. She quickly jotted down several ideas to include in her paper. Easy! Alexis thought as she added the last note. She next began her notes for comparing her mother against the verb. Sometime later Alexis sat staring at her computer screen, fingers at a standstill. She really shouldn't be surprised by the revelation staring back at her. Her dad said he often found the truth in a situation when he wrote about it and, once again, he was right (though she wouldn't tell him- didn't want to inflate his ego any more than it already was). Laughing a little to herself Alexis sighed, closed her laptop, and decided to finish her paper in a more neutral location, the library.

Making her way down the stairs she said a quick goodbye to her gram who was heading out to who knew where, dressed fabulously of course! Her dad and Kate were at the kitchen island drinking their coffee. As she grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder her dad asked her where she was going. Deciding to mess with him a little she said, "Oh, I signed up for an escort service, I have to meet a client." Laughing at her dad's double take she assured him she was only joking. After informing them both of her plans to head to the library she leaned in and gave her dad a kiss on the cheek then did the same to a clearly surprised Kate, but after what she'd just realized, Alexis didn't want to hold back anymore.

She walked out of the building, hailed a cab and headed for the library. Alexis was relieved to find her favorite quiet corner was empty. She sat down with her computer and a box of tissues and got to work. The paper practically wrote itself after that. Once it was completed she read it through finding herself more than satisfied with her words. Now she needed to find the place and time to let someone else read it too.

Kate had just sat down on the couch in the loft with a cup of coffee and a good book. Grabbing a blanket that was kept over the back of the couch she got ready to settle in for some quality reading time. She had the day off and, knowing that her husband was going to be gone until lunch time, she was looking forward to some uninterrupted time to read.

Kate was so absorbed in the plot of her book that she didn't hear footsteps on the stairs or the padding of socked feet as they crossed the room towards her. As a homicide detective she prided herself in being aware of her surroundings at all times, which is why she was annoyed with herself when she was so surprised that she jumped at the sound of her name.

"Hey Kate," Alexis began, and then almost startled herself when Kate jumped a mile. "Oh! Sorry to surprise you!"

"No problem kiddo, what's up?' Kate said with a little chuckle and a small smile.

Alexis was more than a little nervous about the conversation she knew she wanted to have with her step mom. She was very aware of what happened to Kate's mom and how that shaped who she became and how skittish it made her to open up to people. But Alexis had had a pretty big revelation recently and knew in her heart that it was time to talk to Kate about her findings. So after taking a big breath to calm her nerves she sat down on the couch next to Kate with a piece of paper in her hand and began again. "I had to write a small paper for one of my classes and I was wondering if you'd take a look at it before I turn it in. I don't really need any help with editing or anything, it's just that it's kind of made me look at something in a different way and it's a subject that's pretty close to me so I'm hoping you can just tell me if it makes sense and is good enough to turn in?"

It didn't happen often, but over the years she had asked occasionally, so it wasn't completely unusual for Alexis to ask for Kate's input on an assignment. That being said Kate's detective instincts, or as Castle would call it her Spidey Sense, was telling her there was something more going on here. With an internal eye-roll at her husband for making her think like him, Kate smiled at Alexis and took the paper her step daughter offered her saying, "I'd be happy to." and bent her head to read.

Alexis Castle

Writing Prompt: Mother

Oxford's English Dictionary defines a mother first as a noun: "The female parent of a human being; a woman in relation to a child or children to whom she has given birth." My mother Meredith absolutely fits this description. She gave birth to me. Then she left when I was four years old. She moved across the country to pursue her acting career. Over the years we have spent days and weeks together as determined by her schedule and her whims. I love my mom, my mother, and the time we've spent together has almost always been fun and exciting and often full of adventure; but that's about where it ends.

Oxford also defines mother as a verb: "To bring up, take care of, or protect as a mother; to look after in a (sometimes excessively) kindly and protective way." As I have been comparing my own experiences against the verb form of Mother I realized someone else actually fits this role. Kate Beckett Castle is now officially my step mom, but she exemplified what a true mother (v.) should be a long time before she married my dad.

I met Kate when my dad, a writer, began shadowing her for research in his newest book series. Kate is a homicide detective with the New York Police Department. It didn't take long for me to realize she had so many qualities I looked up to: intelligence, confidence, courage, honor, patience and strength. Later I found she also has a great capacity for love. I hope to embody these same qualities as I get older.

I was fifteen years old when I met Kate at one of my dad's book signings. Shortly after that it was pretty clear something had changed. I learned that he'd started asking her questions. He said it was because she was "once a teenage girl" so she was able to give him a different perspective which helped him through many Over-Protective-Dad moments. About a year later I got notifications through my email that my emergency contact information had been changed at school and with my doctor. Dad set her as my emergency contact even before my biological mother. Dad and Kate weren't even dating yet. This is one of the first ways I knew just how trust-worthy Kate is.

It was Kate who brought me soup when I got sick while dad was on a book tour. She ended up staying and watched a couple movies with me. It was Kate I asked about what to wear on my first date, who I turned to with questions about problems with friends. Kate helped me make a college choice, Kate held my hand and let me cry on her shoulder when I broke up with my boyfriend. She has demonstrated time and time again just how far she will go for those she loves. I count myself beyond lucky that I am one of those people, and that Katherine Houghton Beckett Castle is my mother. My mom.

Kate finished reading and looked up at Alexis (her daughter!) with tears in her eyes. "Oh sweetie," she said. "this is - this means so much…" Kate paused to collect her thoughts and calm her racing heart. She was so overcome by Alexis's words. The idea that she could be someone's mom was terrifying. The fact that it was Alexis, Castle's intelligent, beautiful and wise-beyond-her-years daughter who granted her that title was something she hadn't even considered as a possibility.

During Kate's pause Alexis took a breath and said, "As I said, it started as an assignment in one of my classes. We had to pick a relationship from a list. We were supposed to define this relationship and then compare our own experiences against the definition. I chose 'Mother' off the list. As you can see I planned to write about my mom, Meredith but as I thought about what a mother -a mom- means to me and what a ..mom does for her kids, I realized it was you Kate. You're the one who's been here for milestones and memories, making cookies and watching movies, dates and break-ups, helping dad with me and helping me with dad. Not to mention everything you did to try to find dad while he was missing, and how we all supported each other during that time." Here Alexis took another big breath so she could continue getting all her words out. "I know how special your mom is to you and that maybe it's a lot to take in, and if it's too much then we can just pretend this didn't happen because the last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable but I just had to tell you because mean so much to me and I just want to call you mom". As Alexis wound down her anxiety speech she noticed the sudden change in Kate's expression.

Kate was caught between amazement at Alexis's tendency to speak in run-on sentences when she was nervous, and being overrun by a gamut of emotions. The one she could identify first was love. Love for Alexis,for her husband who raised this amazing person before her, and love for her own mom. Next she wasn't surprised to find fear that she would ruin this moment, fear that she wasn't going to be as good of a mom as her own was. And then awe that she, Kate Beckett, does truly have a daughter. She stopped trying to define her emotions after that last revelation. Kate let her small smile turn into a face splitting grin. With happy tears beginning to make their way down her cheeks she placed her hand on Alexis's knee and said, "Alexis your words just prove, once again, that you are your father's daughter. What you wrote, what you've said, is so beautiful and I am so thankful to know you and to call you my daughter."

Before Kate could get out any more words Alexis threw herself into her arms with a gasp. "I love you sweetie." Kate murmured into Alexis's hair.

Alexis pulled back to look into Kate's eyes. Happy tears were streaming down her face as she smiled brilliantly and said, "I love you too, mom".

Fin